Bouquet of Calendula
by Jason M. Lee
Summary: Thirty-one kisses, in so many ways and in so many fashions. How would they come about among devils and humans? A Inktober/"Smooch-tober" challenge. Mix of AU and canon one-shots.
1. Nobles-verse: Hand-Kissing

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

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 **Bouquet of Calendula  
**

Jason M. Lee

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 **Nobles-verse: Hand-Kissing**

If Kyrie wasn't bored before, now she was wishing she had slipped one of her smaller books with her.

Being Credo's "female escort" took many wind out of the sails of the young knights that she knew, most of them far too intimidated of her older brother to even bother a simple conversation. The rest of the female guests present about the banquet hall either fell into the vapid category of seeking good husbands and climbing the social ladders, those far too headstrong for her to be fully comfortable around with (even if she rather enjoyed seeing them take down unwanted suitors several pegs), as well those who were already attached that didn't seem ready to leave their significant others. And then there were those that were never the talkative types, that simply watched others with blank stares, which made her almost question what was going through their minds (and she wasn't keen on wanting to be like them).

She disliked these social functions as much as Credo did, preferring ones like the festivals, where those attending were more freer and more open with little worries. Alas, he was supporting both of them and had to carry on the family name, so "making nice" was necessary. At least he wasn't pushing for her to pick a husband, even though she was nearing the marrying age.

Snapping her fan shut in frustration, Kyrie decided a small snack might help alleviate her mood. The next problem arose when she came to the buffet table and saw the laid out spread. The host had certainly spared no expense on the variety. More than half were those she knew that were consumed by the more higher echelons of nobles (she and Credo came from a much lower rank, even though their father was a mid-ranking knight), while others resembled the more fancier versions of what she'd usually see from the small cafes. At a loss of what to even pick, Kyrie stared at the incredible selection with a hint of despair.

"Try the strawberry cream tarts," a male voice muttered next to her. "They're not distasteful."

Almost startled, Kyrie forced herself to not stare at the gleaming silver-white hair on a young man who towered one head over her and was certainly within her age range. Whilst his clothes resembled the white dress uniform Credo was wearing, it looked far more utilitarian with its dark blues and splashes of red. "A recommended favorite, I suppose, milord?"

An un-gentlemanly snort as he gathered a large variety onto his plate. While his pile was far higher than those on the pompous fops' plates further down the table, something about his movements made Kyrie think that it wasn't out of gluttony. "More like my uncle's favorite. Anytime there's a treat with strawberries in them, he'll all but insist on taking the entire tray with no regards for others. And if you try to take one for yourself, he'll simply whine like a child the entire time until something else distracts him. Now, those blackcurrant tarts, those I prefer. And you don't need any formalities with me. Can't stand them."

Kyrie couldn't help but smile, and relaxed a bit, although she dipped slightly into a proper curtsy. "Kyrie of House Eleison, milord."

Gray eyebrows furrowed at her use of the title, but he returned back with a proper bow. "Nero, milady."

"No house name, milord?" There was a hint of an otherworldly sense from him, a touch of wildness, but where it seemed to garner barely hidden skittish looks from the other guests, she felt safe in his presence.

"I am..." A hint of chagrin on his face as he straightened, unconsciously rubbing his nose that would've brought down a smack of the ruler from one of her old etiquette teachers. "...uncomfortable of speaking it in such a public setting. My... esteemed grandfather and father are somewhat... notorious among certain circles, my uncle more so in other circles. I would really like to let my grandfather and grandmother enjoy themselves tonight with little trouble, if you don't mind my withholding. Even though trouble tends to find us..."

The mumbled last part set alight to her curiosity, but politeness that had held her tongue on questioning his hair reigned, and Kyrie simply nodded. She had already noticed several surprised glances from some of the other guests that she and Nero were passing by, yet the barely veiled incredulous looks from several women behind their fans made her bristle internally for some reason. "You said notorious. Should I be worried then that your family are possibly a band of bandits masquerading as nobles?"

Another snort, this time of amusement as they both made their way towards one of the open balconies further away. "No, my family are not a group of robbers. Although my uncle would find that hilarious. No, we simply have a certain reputation that often gets ahead of us, which sadly leads to the aforementioned notoriety. From what my uncle and grandmother told me, my grandfather had been involved in incidents that made him somewhat infamous. My father is heir, and I suppose you could see where that leads to. Now, my uncle, on the other hand... He drives my father into cursing his existence, for he is constantly doing things that is-" Nero straightened his back and mimicked what was apparently his father's tones, "-'unbefitting of a son of a noble lord of such an esteemed house, why would you return back covered in feathers and honey. No, do not answer that. Remove yourself from my presence and clean up after yourself before Mother finds some other more worthy punishment.'"

This time, Kyrie couldn't help the round of giggles that escaped, prompting a smile on Nero's face as well. "Oh, goodness! Quite the rapscallion, was he?"

"Still is. He just finds more outrageous ways these days. You?"

"Me, no, but my teachers are often requesting that I put my books down and focus more on my dancing and lute lessons." She took a sip from her flute of sparkling wine, enjoying the rare opportunity to savor the bubbles that danced across her tongue. Truly, the host had gone all out, to even include sparkling wine.

Nero raised an eyebrow as he bit into his blackcurrant tart. "Anything you're currently reading at the moment?"

" _De Monarchia_ ," Kyrie answered smoothly, lifting her chin, as if daring him to question her choice of literature.

That prompted a raised eyebrow from him before his lips twitch into an almost smirk. "Well, then..."

Hours. They spent much of the time talking away while eating the rest of their plates in between, debating various topics ranging from discoveries of faraway lands to relearning old equations that brought more than one curious glance from the passersby. He spoke of learning swordsmanship under both his father and uncle, she shared the better ways of memorizing details. For all intents and purposes, Nero and Kyrie were in their own world, under the night sky as the spring breeze drifted by.

The majordomo soon made the announcement of the night's final dance. Nero glanced at Kyrie, causing her to raise an eyebrow at him. With a slight cough, he stood up from his seat and made a rather gallant bow, extending out his right hand.

"Shall we dance, milady?"

Kyrie didn't miss the fact that he had consistently eaten with his left hand during the entire time. As she placed her left hand into his right, she noticed that it felt different than what she expected how a normal swordsman's hand would feel. She had felt Credo's callouses on his hands many times before - Nero's right hand felt more than that.

Rougher, but as if hidden under a layer.

She's read the stories. Heard the low voices when Credo and his knights thought she wasn't listening in on.

She didn't look away from stormy blue eyes as she curled her fingers deeper into his. "I would very much enjoy this dance with you, milord."

A brief flash of relief, and a more genuine smile as Nero led her back into the hall. Both of them ignored the whispers that started buzzing within their vicinity, focusing on the music and each other as the steps and other dancers flowed around them, lessons guiding their feet with ease.

The song ended with them still holding each other's gaze, gauging. Kyrie was sure that Nero had many more things that he wasn't quite willing to share yet, but she wasn't going to pry and was willing to let those details come at their own pace (although she wouldn't be against some minor prodding). Credo's calling her name had her executing a one-handed curtsy and just as she was about to turn, Nero's lips ghosted over her knuckles.

Light and chaste, unlike the lingering ones she had experienced before that made her skin crawl. He was still looking at her as he straightened slightly from his bow.

"Shall we meet again in the future, milady?"

Previous heat at such a question had been that of indignant fury. Kyrie didn't fight the warm pink that dusted on her cheeks this time.

"I would be delighted to, milord."

Another smile, this one softer and his voice dropped to a bare whisper for her ears only. "Nero, of House Alighieri."

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 **A/N:** negaverse_queer over on Twitter had created a "Smooch-tober" list for artists doing Inktober, where it's basically 31 days of something pertaining to kissing. Being a writer, words are the tools I use (plus dictionaries and other literary devices), and this would be nice practice to push my limits. Plus, I'm a sap.

Day 1 - "Kiss on the hand".


	2. Canon-ish: Air Kiss

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

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 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

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 **Canon-ish: Air Kiss**

A whoop mingled with the hail of gunfire, occasionally intersected with sword cutting through flesh or several curse words in-between.

"Remember what we agreed on, Dante!"

While most of the city officials had been rather skittish about the two of them being in the area of where Temen-ni-gru was, the federal officials that had shown up decided that contracting them to do some extra "clean-up" was a better idea, while they handled the human side of the issues on logistics. Both weren't all that up for playing nice with any government person, but accepted the offer as they were low on their own respective resources plus certain concessions (Dante demanded his shop be repaired and the property transferred to his name with no issues, Lady simply wanted a place to crash).

"Yeah, yeah! Try to keep property damage to a minimum! As if this place wasn't already trashed enough as it is." Dante rolled his eyes as he back-flipped from a Hell Lust and then used a nearby Hell Pride as a springboard to Rain Storm on a pack of more Hell Prides. "Hey, can I add one tiny addendum to our deal?"

Lady snorted as she reloaded her submachine gun, promptly kneecapping a Lust. "It better not be about replacing your coat because of your ripped sleeve."

"Nah, I can fix that easily myself. It's a really tiny addition." Several Hell Lusts wound up being skewered by Rebellion before being completely roasted by Agni and Rudra.

"Tinier than my bike?" Grenades sent several parts of a destroyed building crashing down on to a pack that were just manifesting, including setting off a Hell Wrath.

"Much tinier!" Ice froze an approaching Vanguard, then it was electrocuted by a flock of Nevan's bats.

Lady sighed, pointing her shotgun behind her and blowing a Hell Pride's scythe out of its hands and then following up with a point-blank shot to its head. "This outta be good. What is it?"

A ridiculously wide grin as he hung from the lone light pole that had survived the whole mess. "How about blowing me a kiss?"

The fury that she normally reserved for demons erupted, barely banked by forcing herself to remember that he was still half-human and they had just went through a really, really, really trying day. "You want kisses, big boy?"

He sent a Blood-goyle back into its statue form. "C'mon! Told ya it was tiny!"

She smirked, flipping Kalina Ann around. "Since you want a blown kiss..."

Blue eyes widened as the multiple chamber doors suddenly popped open. "Uh-oh."

Even some of the demons froze, staring at her.

"...here's a bunch from me!"

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 **A/N:** Day 2 - "blowing a kiss".


	3. Diverge-verse: Buccae

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

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 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

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 **Diverge-verse: _Buccae_**

Eva frowned, arms crossed as she tapped a foot. She had just returned from attending a four-day hunters' convention, and she was already more than a bit stressed out from having to deal with some of the more idiotic hunters plus jet lag.

"Explain."

Two pairs of blue eyes didn't meet her, guiltily shifting foot to foot while looking everywhere but at her. Their clothes covered in splotches of various liquid and powder wasn't helping their image.

"We... uhm..."

"That is..."

"...was supposed to be a secret..."

"We were gonna clean it up afterwards..."

"Kinda glad we had the stuff set up...

"Dad and Verge were supposed to take the longer route..."

"...had it all planned out, y'see..."

"Just wasn't expecti-"

An eyebrow twitched, cocking her shotgun. "BOYS."

"Happy birthday, Mom/Grandma!"

If it wasn't for what looked like several field armies of human and devils had gone to town in the kitchen, the sheer contrast of how readily proper the dining room appeared had her pausing when Dante and Nero practically shoved her in there.

Some of the dishes she recognized were her favorites that she had spoken fondly of, when the boys would beg for stories, the smells reminding her of how her father had cooked them. Others resembled roughly of those the family had tried while on trips abroad, her commenting on enjoying them and hoping to try them again in the future. (That two-tiered jelly dessert was rather lopsided, but she was impressed with the way how the raspberries were arranged to keep it from tipping over.)

The fact that uncle and nephew had gone through the trouble of cooking - a skill both weren't entirely proficient in - a birthday dinner for her, even at the expense of the kitchen, had her chuckling. She had completely forgotten, what with the convention, and even with the hints that Sparda and Vergil had been dropping when they went to pick her up from the airport.

Pulling their heads down, Eva warmly gave both of them a quick peck on their cheeks. "Thank you, both of you."

Nero blushed and rubbed his nose, while Dante beamed happily.

"But you both still have to clean up the kitchen. And no using Devil Arms!"

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 **A/N:** _B_ _uccae_ is Latin for "cheek". Day 3 - "kiss on the cheek".


	4. Nobles-verse: Sub Rosa

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

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 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

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 **Nobles-verse:** ** _Sub Rosa_**

Dante wasn't sure what it was at first when he had set off at the crack of dawn, but his nephew had been certainly acting a bit off throughout the day.

Off on his sword forms, leaving himself open several times. Off on his targeting with his own Summon Swords. Off on his footing, to which Vergil would've forced repetitions. Even off by not quite paying attention as they walked through the trees after taking care of a nest of demons that had been harassing several farmers that were tending their estate's crops.

He's seen that look several times before - on his parents when they was reminiscing something happy, on Vergil years ago, and the occasional hunters and mercenaries he interacted with.

The second son of Eva eventually had a very good idea of the cause, given how animated his informants' connections to the nobles' world were after that last party.

"So..."

Nothing but their boots on dirt. Still that not-quite smile on the younger man's face.

"Did you and her enjoy it?"

Nero stumbled, nearly dropping his sword. "Uncle! How'd-?!"

Dante chuckled. "I've seen that ridiculous look on your face on others before. You're not the first."

"You won't tell?" Even though Nero didn't quite follow etiquette or protocol to the degree that Vergil occasionally did, he understood how even the smallest of rumors could create bigger issues. He had a higher prestige and his family's reputation that could act as shields - Kyrie wasn't as fortunate.

A more real smile as Dante wrapped an arm around his nephew's shoulders and pulled him close. He could sense a spark of happiness, different from the one that Nero had for their family, but it was there. "My lips are sealed."

The blush could've given Eva's prized roses a run for their money in the various hues of red. "Thank you, uncle."

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 **A/N:** Follows "Hand-Kissing". _Sub rosa_ is Latin for "under the rose", as roses were used as symbols of secrecy, and thus denotes confidentiality.

Day 4 - "super secret kiss".


	5. Nobles-verse: Unexpected

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

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 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

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 **Nobles-verse: Unexpected**

It was a rather nice day for reading after several days of raining, and thus Kyrie opted to enjoy herself at her favorite cafe near the town square. Cabin fever had started to creep in, and for all his apparent patience, even Credo had been starting to go a bit short on his own temper. Her etiquette teacher had come down with sickness from traveling under the wet weather, and while Kyrie did hope swift recover to her instructor, she relished the few days of freedom. Making sure the family's books were in order got boring after a while, even if the two lived by themselves with no servants.

"There she is again, nose buried in her book."

Except she could do without the annoying whispers from those sitting several tables over. She didn't need to turn around to see the prideful looks, barely hidden behind their ridiculously expensive fans.

"I hear her brother works with those filthy bounty hunters in exchange for those books."

"Come now, it's not that uncommon. Those bounty hunters have access to information our knights and lords requires to keep us safe."

"That still doesn't explain why her brother hasn't sought a suitor for her. I already have five seeking!"

"With how she dresses, what sort of husband would be even a suitable match?"

"Unlikely. I hear their purse strings are often kept tight, and they do their own household chores!"

"And their father was a mid-ranking knight?! Scandalous!"

Kyrie pondered if she would be able to pay back the proprietor if she threw her teapot at the gossipy birds, forcing her fingers to relax from gripping her book too hard. (The _Elements_ was fascinating on giving her new ideas of figuring out math, and it be a shame to ruin the illustrations.) Fate hadn't been kind to her and Credo's parents, a pack of demons having attacked the group they were traveling with from a nearby lord's lands. Even then, their parents had always instilled in both the practicality of living frugally, even if they were nobles, and thus Kyrie opted to use her mother's dresses for fancier events, while keeping to the more simpler ones for daily use. (Bringing out her mother's clothing often brought bittersweet memories, but she would dry her tears and soldier on, as her father would tell Credo during his sword training.)

Barking brought her out of her funk, and then surprise when a very rough tongue began licking her face enthusiastically, prompting a startled yelp. Kyrie could hear shrieks of terror from the other young ladies behind her, chairs being tipped over and the china rattled as they scrambled back.

"Orthus! Down, boy!"

Fumbling for her napkin to wipe her face, Kyrie blinked at the rather enormous black and gray wolf-like dog who was looking at her with gold eyes, tongue out panting while its tail was wagging. Boots pounding towards her direction revealed to be Nero, again in dark blue and red but dressed like a cross between the traveling hunters and the upper-ranking guardsmen. "Oh, Lord Nero! Good day to you. Is he yours?"

A quickly sketched bow. "Good day, Lady Kyrie. I apologize for Orthus's inappropriate behavior. Father's traveling again, and he insisted that I bring along Orthus for 'better socializing outside his comfort realm', as he put it."

"I see, and it's alright. I was merely startled, and he did no harm." Kyrie couldn't help but smile, gently scratching the large dog behind his ears. Setting aside his large size, his current demeanor reminded her of the more playful guard dogs she once played with as a child.

As if understanding her words, Orthus's tail wagging increased in speed and leaned into her hand with a happy whine.

"If I could make up for the intrusion..."

"There's no real need, milord."

Kyrie saw Nero flicker his eyes behind her before he took off his coat and extended it towards her. "Then allow me to replace the dress that Orthus ruined. It would be inappropriate for me to allow such a wrong to go uncorrected, as I was at fault, and my grandmother would have my ear if she found out what had happened to a fellow noble lady."

Looking down, she had to admit that the muddy paw prints dotting the bottom portion weren't befitting of a noble lady, low ranking she may be. "Then I would gladly accept the offer to spare the wrath of milord's esteemed grandmother."

And maybe, as Kyrie turned to allow him to drape his coat over her, she could sneak in another. From the slight gleam in his eyes, it seemed that she wasn't the only one with the idea.

Her leaving with Nero and his great dog while still without a suitor should give those insufferable birds something to really talk about.

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 **A/N:** Follows "Hand-Kissing". What, doggie kisses out of nowhere counts as "surprise kissing".

Day 5 - "surprise kiss".


	6. Diverge-verse: Cheek Kissing

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

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 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

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 **Diverge-verse: Cheek Kissing**

Kyrie fiddled with her cup of latte nervously, one leg bouncing as she watched the throng of people bustle about the station's central lobby, many eager to join their friends and relatives for the holidays. It had taken a lot of wheedling, but Credo had finally relented on letting her spend time with her boyfriend's family for the break.

"Relax, Kyrie." Nero soothingly rubbed a calloused thumb over her knuckles, feeling her tension. "My grandparents won't bite. Heck, Grandma'll probably spoil you to bits."

She mock glared at her boyfriend. "Well, ex-cuuuse me for being a bit twitchy after meeting your father and uncle."

Nero didn't bother hiding his embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Meeting one's older male relatives after they had just come back from a demon nest extermination job hadn't been the best of timing on either of their parts. In Nero's defense, he had been expecting them to have completed the job beforehand, not tackle what got turned into an all out brawl because of a gang of inexperienced hunters trying to butt in and a mama-demon on a rampage. Which meant both twins returned back to Dante's shop partially covered in bloodstains, torn clothing, and still sniping at each other heatedly, causing Kyrie to throw objects at both men out of shock. Vergil had been somewhat impressed at her reflexes, Dante hysterical with laughter, and Nero mostly mortified until all of them had calmed down.

Demonic senses caught his grandfather's familiar presence and sharp eyes finally spotted the bright red trench coat on his grandmother making their way down the hall. "Grandma!"

"Nero!" Eva practically shoved past through the crowd and tightly wrapped her arms around him, Nero returning the gesture more gently, mindful of his strength. Stepping back, Eva cupped her hands around his face, beaming up at him. "How is my darling grandson doing?"

"All good. Just glad that it's winter break." Nero stepped to the side and gestured at Kyrie. "Grandma, I'd like you to meet Kyrie Eleison."

"It's a p-pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Alighieri," Kyrie said, politely sticking out her hand and internally cursing her stutter. "I hope your train trip wasn't too much of an issue."

Eva briefly studied her, grabbed the teenager, gave her two quick pecks on both cheeks, and then hugged her tightly with a bright smile. "Oh, you're adorable! Vergil's told me some things, but I do hope that we learn more about each other together! Do call me Eva!"

"Uhm..." Kyrie helplessly looked at Nero, who simply held up his hands in mock surrender. "...yes, ma'am?"

"Milady, do let her breathe." Sparda tilted his head politely at Kyrie, understanding how Eva could be almost like a hurricane at times. While it still drove some of his devil-inclined instincts to bafflement even after all these years, other times it was what attracted his devil-side. "And please call me Marcus."

She tilted her head before comprehension lit up, and she nodded seriously. Even though he was disguised as a human, she could still feel that otherworldly touch, just beneath the surface. While Nero's was like a banked fire that could flare up suddenly, Sparda's felt like a dozing volcano. "Understood, sir."

"C'mon, let's mosey outta here before we get stuck in traffic." Nero grabbed Eva's roller case and headed towards the exit. Getting into the station parking lot was already rough as it was, getting out was almost going to be a nightmare. He remembered the last time some idiot took forever at the exit gates after a hotel convention, causing a two-hour backup which lead to frazzled nerves and more than enough shouted cursing through opened windows.

Eventually, Kyrie warmed up to Eva and was soon happily chatting away with the older woman as Nero drove them back to Dante's shop, listening to some of Sparda's driving tips.

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 **A/N:** Getting stuck in the exit lanes while trying to leave a hotel convention actually happened to me years ago. Everyone was moving along fine, until someone way ahead somehow held up the line for more than an hour, which prompted a lot of us to just shut off our cars to save gas and not die from the exhaust.

The original prompt for Day 6 was "friendly smooch". Cheek kissing in some countries/cultures is seen that way.


	7. Diverge-verse: Forehead to Forehad

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

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 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

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 **Diverge-verse: Forehead to Forehead**

Vergil didn't stop frowning as he turned more pages. If his twin had been there, he would've been cracking some bad joke about how his face would get stuck.

More flipping before Vergil reluctantly closed it, resting his forehead on his hands, letting out a rather defeated sigh. The fifth book he's perused within his own collection, and still nothing that would answer Nero's symptoms. The only thing constant was the crying that would start at night before it would taper off after three hours, which pointed at infant colic, but Vergil felt that there was more to it than a human condition. Nero was barely four months old.

Lightning flashing outside reflected briefly off of the framed photo on his desk, catching his eye. Unconsciously, he stroked a calloused thumb over the glass shielding the red-haired woman's image, a swirl of frustration, bittersweet, and sadness spinning within him. It made him wonder if this was similar to how his own father felt, when Sparda thought no one was looking during his moments of melancholy during sunsets. Even though there were the sporadic stories of peaceful co-existences between humans and devils, Vergil couldn't help but ponder the ties Sparda had severed and the losses he went through to help create the current world.

And now here he was, having trouble with his own infant son without her by his side.

' _I don't know how I can do this, Rachel..._ '

She'd probably snark at him for being "down in the dumps", punch him in the shoulder before dragging him to go find more books and field experts. For all her "bad girl" attitude, she was as voracious as he was when it came to research - just in different fields and aspects. They had been so excited, for all the excitement he'd allowed himself to show publicly. So much planning, thinking, wishing, hoping, and dreaming...

Perhaps another volume...

"Vergil, your eyes are going to fall out at this rate and I doubt even demonic healing would help," Eva's soft tones piercing through his thoughts.

"Mother, I..."

Warm lips pressed to his forehead, the thunk of a mug that smelled of his favorite tea before arms wrapped around him. The hint of cordite, wool, grease, and herbs trickled in, and he willingly buried his nose into her shirt, breathing in her scent deeply.

For all the stoicism and powerful aura he displayed of his demonic powers so as to not show any weakness, Vergil felt like reverting back to a child and nestling at moments like these. The child who was afraid of shadows and monsters under the bed before learning of real ones, and the nestling who was wary of everything new before grasping the knowledge of "safe", "cautious", and "not safe".

"Infant colic is infant colic, even with all the advances in the field of medicine," she spoke softly, rubbing his back. "I remember my twin telling me how Leon suffered through it for a couple months himself before it went away and he was perfectly fine after."

"Was she able to remedy his problem?" Earl Grey, with that touch of honey.

Eva hummed thoughtfully, also smiling sadly at the framed picture. "Well, she tried switching to goat-based dairy products for her diet and it actually seemed to help ease his symptoms, but I doubt that'll work in this situation. Although maybe supplementing the formula we've been using with goat milk might help."

He added that to his mental list of things to possibly try. Nero was still drinking and passing normally at least. "Did Dante and I go through the same problem?"

A soft laugh, carding fingers through his hair fondly. "You had to have been one of the most fussiest babies I've ever had to deal with, be it babysitting strangers' kids or my cousins'. Dante always slept perfectly fine, except you. You always needed either me or Sparda to hold and sing before you would willingly give us any peace at night until you were seven months old." Another kiss to his forehead. "Don't worry, Nero will be fine."

Blue eyes blinked at that revelation in surprise, sipping more of his tea in thought.

Later that night, as Nero was about to starting crying on the dot again, Vergil picked him up, startling the baby into hiccuping. A brief touch of their foreheads, the low humming of a song and the comforting purr gradually eased the sniffles away to quietness. Something in Vergil's chest tightened and warmed up on seeing the peaceful look of his son's face as he laid Nero back into his crib.

For the first time in weeks, father and son were able to sleep without waking up to tear tracks on either of their faces.

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 **A/N:** Rachel was mentioned in the _Inferno_ part of the _Divine Comedy_.

Day 7 - "kiss on the forehead".


	8. Canon-ish: Nucha

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

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 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

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 **Canon-ish: _Nucha_**

Lady had been originally sleeping, recognizing Dante's presence in the back of her mind as he slipped under the covers, but then she felt his lips. Reflexes had almost prompted for the gun under her pillow, yet she stayed her hand, curious.

They started on her fingers. Scars, new and old, hairline and visible, he went over them.

Over her wrist, still ghosting. A pause over the bandage from a recent job.

Goosebumps prompted when he moved up her lower arm. She could almost feel his smile at her body's involuntary reaction.

(She was sorely tempted to deck him, but that'd ruin the moment. She was rather liking it.)

Small skips over her upper arm, as if trying to find faded lines.

Almost dancing to her shoulder, a little more attention to another scar from two months ago.

Finally, he stopped at her nape.

Stillness, save soft breathing from both of them. Her wondering his next move, him taking in her scent.

Lips to the back of her neck again, lingering, and then he simply rested his forehead.

The dented clock sitting on his nightstand ticked away its lullaby, settling them back into the world of mixed memories, bittersweet dreams, and hidden wishes under the blanket of a cooling summer night in the city.

Neither reacted when their fingers intertwined subconsciously.

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 **A/N:** _Nucha_ is Latin for "nape".

Day 8 - "kiss on the nape".


	9. Canon-ish: Hot-Blooded

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

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 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

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 **Canon-ish: Hot-Blooded**

Kyrie had only just returned back from volunteering at the church's kitchen and was putting away her coat when the locks sounded. Nero always locked their doors, as while the wards set up kept demons out, physical locks at least added a layer against normal human intrusions. Both of them were still a bit leery about their fellow islanders at the moment, even though they were grateful for the neighbors that promised to watch out for them and their home.

What she hadn't been expecting was the speed of warm skin and scutes encompassing her tightly after she got whipped around, prompting a startled squeak.

Her words died in her throat when she looked up at him. Eyes that were glowing like rubies studied her, as if trying to ascertain something that she wasn't sure of, only that it was as if Nero - and the part that was his devil - was making sure of something about her. Kyrie didn't dared to move a muscle, staying quiet and looking back in part worry of his actions and in part wonder at the crackling blue energy that she recognized as his Trigger.

The all-consuming kiss that stole her breath was unexpected, but it truly reminded her of how Nero was - head-on, passionate as well stubborn to a fault, and yet those occasional glimpses of his softer side. Claws that could easily crush stone and demon armor was gentle going through her hair as he re-angled her head, not even stopping. Kyrie wondered if she would be set ablaze like Red Queen, her knees already weakening, but not worrying as his human arm moved to support her weight easily. She could also feel ethereal claws and scutes, capable of throwing objects several times their owner's weight, currently ever so light and tender on her.

Breaking apart left them heaving breathlessly (and her a bit disappointed), Kyrie gazing at red fading back to blue with questions in her eyes.

"Illusionist demon," he whispered apologetically. "Piece of shit was screwing with my head up good, and its buddies weren't helping. Kept showing me really awful stuff, and one of the illusions involved... you."

Sadness, yet still warmth. "I'm here. I'm still here."

"I know. Brain says one thing-"

"-but your heart says another," she finished, resting her head on his chest and listening to the rhythm that beat within.

His arms tightened just a fraction more around her, as if to reassure himself. "Yeah."

* * *

 **A/N:** Day 9 - "passionate kiss".


	10. Nobles-verse: Philematology

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

* * *

 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

* * *

 **Nobles-verse: Philematology**

Credo wasn't happy.

Even for his low rank among nobles, many respected Credo's skill in swordsmanship and agreed his promotion was rightly earned. A hard teacher, but fair in doling out punishment regardless of which families they came from. Stern, but gave praise when the job was done well. Young in some eyes, but incredibly shrewd with information given during meetings. Even they had to give him credit for being able to work with the hunters and mercenaries most would turn their noses at, as they of the less than savory types often carried information that kept their lands safe (or as safe as it can be).

However, some of the younger cadets pined away at his younger sister, who was already at the marrying age. They always made sure to keep their love letters hidden, less they suffer his wrath. Others knew better than to foolishly entertain any notion, knowing how bookish Kyrie was and how protective Credo was.

Yet, ever since that recently hosted spring function, they had noticed some subtle mood changes in Credo's behavior that had put the fear of Sparda into them. There was no change in Kyrie's behavior, she who stayed as adoringly lovely as ever, who brought smiles to their faces when she occasionally came by the barracks to visit her brother.

So when Credo wasn't happy, the cadets that were training under him weren't happy.

-3-1-4-2-5-

It was his turn to prepare their night meal, and if he was a touch more forceful with the knife on dressing the chicken, Credo made sure that none of the chopping block's splinters were in the flesh. Wouldn't do to waste the small bird, as it was a rather plump one.

Oh, those under him might not had noticed it, nor the young ladies of his sister's age (the blind fools they were). Perhaps those above him in rank might have spotted something, but stayed silent, giving him furtive glances. At least she had the foresight to keep the more scandalous action inside home.

While outside, she would occasionally have a distant stare, usually whenever something blue, red, and/or white caught her eye.

Fingers would occasionally touch her lips, and then a tiny smile at a secretive memory.

Credo could remember how she was before that spring function, bored and quiet and no doubt wanting to read something. Some of the informants he knew, mostly the mercenaries that dealt with demons, had been quite excited upon realizing who the young lord she had been with was.

He knew the stories. Their mother's family had worshiped the devil who had saved humanity and had shown him the books her family had passed down to her before she had been killed alongside their father.

He recognized that bladed crest on the dark blue coat.

Credo sighed, making sure the flames weren't too high before he set about working on the vegetables from their garden.

His older brother instincts, the ones that raised Kyrie, was clamoring on making sure that she be kept away from other young men within her age group. He always made sure to assign extra patrols to those that caused any discomfort to her whenever she visited.

The part of him that was the son of a knight and noble was thinking. That part was browsing through protocols and noting that she was technically of marrying age, and that he should be considering suitors in the future. Bad enough some of the captains had been commenting - read complaining - about their daughters having multiple offers. (Granted, it was frowning at the breach of certain etiquette, but then again, House Eleison wasn't exactly traditional either compared to other nobles of their rank.)

And the last part of him, the side that dealt with the darker side of society, rightly pointed out on who better to protect her than someone of that heritage and skills.

Another sigh. Well, at least he wasn't pondering this over his reports, with the possibility of accidentally dripping ink onto sensitive documents.

Dinner throughout was a normal affair, conversation being mostly that of what their day was spent on. As Kyrie made to move to pick up their plates, Credo set down his mug of ale with a heavier thunk.

She paused, looking at him with a neutral face.

"Did you two enjoy it?"

If her face could get any redder, it could easily rival the flames in the fireplace.

"Brother! When did you-"

Credo held up a hand. "You've been touching your lips when no one else is looking and I'm grateful that you've been doing it when inside home. Normally, I would be talking with your etiquette instructor, and she would agree with me that this would be out of bounds. He hasn't sent any notice, be it verbally with me or through a formal correspondence, never mind his own family. However, I must ask this."

If he noticed her fingers gripping her bowl tighter, he ignored it.

"Are you two happy?"

The noble's son part of him wilted a little when she nodded firmly, but his brother side puffed right back up proudly. Stubborn, much like their mother when she wouldn't let certain traditions get in her way of things. (She would often cause ruffled feathers, but those were more of the mundane variety.)

"Then continue to be discreet about it. The wagging tongues on you not having a proper suitor yet alongside your disinterest in traditional noble lady interests, and that I work with mercenaries is more than enough at the moment."

Credo's side on handling the less savory types started pondering contingencies as she happily pecked him on his cheek before she continued clearing the table.

Even if House Eleison were to fall with him, so as long Kyrie was alive and happy with that particular family, he could die satisfied.

* * *

 **A/N:** Follows "Hand-Kissing". Day 10 - "kiss on the lips".


	11. Canon-ish: Sigor Cyssan

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

* * *

 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

* * *

 **Canon-ish: Sigor Cyssan**

Eva was angry.

"Have a nice _trip_! See you next _fall_! I hope your spawn chokes on your entrails when you get back there!"

' _Correction, she was - what was that human phrase, ah - pissed as Hell._ '

"What, still hungry? Have a special 'pomegranate'! This one does absolute wonders for indigestion!"

Stray strands of blond hair were just breaking loose of the bun she kept it in, blue eyes flashing as she wove around sharp claws while firing her pistol, as well the occasional toss of Holy Water and grenades after back-flipping. Still continuing her rant about how the vacation that had been planned for _months_ had to be ruined because of some idiotic demon summoner wannabe didn't bother doing the proper research on why it wasn't such a good idea under the pretense of envy-fueled revenge and why correct preparations were always needed, you can't wing it all the way through on half-assed translations so getting eaten was well deserved, imbecile.

The human persona that he had been working on for the last two millennia after sealing the Demon World away was a bit shocked at her recklessness and worried for her safety.

The devil side that he had kept tightly leashed for the last two millennia was - for lack of better words - completely and utterly in love with how she was dispatching the demons.

(He had to quash down the instinct of courting her the way devils did after she had shot at him in the forehead - torn off body parts as gifts to a human who weren't of the biologically scientific type wasn't appealing. She had easily indicated her preference for gunpowder and metal to claws and horns.)

"You dumbasses owe me my rental! Now how the frag am I supposed to get back?! Surf on one of you idjits?!"

Let it not be said that for all the time spent in the Human World, Sparda would forever be mystified by the moments of human insanity.

(Then again, insanity was also prominent among devil-kind, so that would be - ah, perfect phrase - the pot calling the kettle black.)

"Are you done yet, milady?" His Summon Swords were picking off those that were trying to escape and out of range for her pistol as well his own Luce and Ombra.

A snarl, one steel-toe boot crushing a demon's skull before un-slinging her shotgun. "Almost. Just one more detail."

Obviously, with the dark tome still active after it fed on its deceased "owner", the small Hell Gate circle would still be open. Fighting through the winds generated by the demonic book, Eva dumped another vial of Holy Water onto it, eliciting a shriek of pain from the pages. The wind died down as the sanctified water began soaking through the pages, the Hell Gate flickering in front of it.

"Death by a thousand cuts isn't something I'd like to enjoy. Since you're already 'injured', here's some extra salt for that wound from my Jackal!"

Rock salt as shotgun ammunition was something he found rather novel, but Sparda couldn't fault the concept, as there were certain kinds of demons where salt inflicted far more damage than lead would. He's already heard and read several case files of some hunters using salt in modified shotgun shells to cast out possessing demons during the heat of battle, in addition to using Holy Water.

Finally, the sound of just a normal breeze, the smell of burnt flesh and ashes plus gasoline and motor oil. Eva let out a disappointed sigh, slinging her shotgun back over her shoulder and holstering her gun as she stared at the burning car, the flames now burning blue after she had dumped holy oil onto the remains of the book and tossed it into the fire. She had been really looking forward to not having to deal with any extermination, but apparently Lady Luck had to mess things around. "Well, there goes my deposit. Don't think the insurance covers demonic attacks either."

Sparda coughed politely. "Perhaps, if milady would allow me to cover the costs regarding your vehicle?"

Normal blue eyes blinked before she quirked an eyebrow. Eva had been more or less working with the "Traitor" for some time, and even though she interacted with the Vie de Marli occasionally, it was still taking some getting used to in regards to his constant presence. Both the old fashion lord-like and gentleman behavior, as well that twinge of something otherworldly most demons in human disguise tend to exude.

"Since you're willing, I also want that strawberry sparkling wine the hotel had been advertising as well. I could use a drink after this mess."

A small bow that didn't hide the barely quirked half-smile. "As milady wishes."

Smirking, Eva grabbed his coat's lapels and planted one on his lips before marching off, cheerfully singing an old song that was about victory for a hunter who had been involved in a long and convoluted chase. There was no way she would've been able afford that wine - one bottle alone was enough to easily cover at least a month's worth of both normal and special ammunition, plus equipment maintenance.

Sparda touched his lips, quietly following her back to the hotel. His human persona was baffled, his devil side was giddy, and then both were already contemplating future plans.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Sigor_ is Old English for "victory", and _cyssan_ is also Old English for "kiss".

Day 11 - "kiss of victory".


	12. Nibbles-verse: Nibble, Nibble

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

* * *

 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

* * *

 **Nibbles-verse: Nibble, Nibble**

Whatever Lady was going to say died at the sight before her after she stepped through the threshold.

"Oh, hey, Lady! C'mon in! Lock the door, will ya? I still haven't gotten one of those open/closed signs yet and it's freezing out there."

Numbly, she locked the doors behind her, feeling that familiar tingle of wards settling back in place. "Dante-"

Plates clinked from the kitchen towards the back. "Hope you don't mind some of the mess. I'm still getting used to this, too."

"Dante-"

"Also, sorry if I didn't respond back to most of your calls. Been taking some of the local jobs, shitty that they were, but a couple were some decent ones."

"DANTE!"

The mop of silver-white hair popped out from behind the corner that separated his front "office" and the kitchen. A spoon dangled from his mouth. "Yesh?"

Lady gestured widely, almost itching for a pistol to make sure that this person wasn't a demon disguising itself as Dante. "What the hell happened here?! Your drum kit and jukebox is still in their place with a fence around them, I can see some of the furniture has been shuffled a bit under the staircase, it's actually reasonably CLEAN, you got those cheap Christmas lights, and -" She squinted. "- why the hell do you have a baby strapped to your back with your hair color? The kid's yours, right?"

She wasn't quite expecting the smile that would've no doubt charmed half the girls at Love Planet as he took the spoon out of his mouth, but she did catch the tinge of grief underneath the cheer. Wide stormy blue eyes on a chubby face stared at her in bewilderment, blinking slowly at her.

"No, he's not mine." He paused, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "Although, he might as well will be, at this point."

"Then-" She almost didn't want to believe it, but there was only one other person. "Vergil."

Dante nodded, stepping out from the kitchen and setting down a large bowl onto his desk. If it wasn't for the unexpected surprise, she would've been snarking at his ridiculous apron that had what looked like a cartoonish Hell Pride running away from a giant salt shaker wielding a fork and knife.

"Whoever she was, she left paperwork at the orphanage several months earlier, and they called me a couple weeks ago. Caretaker there had to do some fast talking to get me to the place, because I couldn't believe it either the first time, even when she mentioned the white hair. It was only after they brought out the sprog that finally convinced me, especially his scent and my devil instincts." Calloused hands easily capable of swinging a demon-forged claymore was gentle on tucking the baby boy in his red-and-blue onesie against his shoulder after undoing the straps of the carrier. "Heck, it was a good thing I went. That orphanage wasn't exactly at the best place for a kid like him."

"Why?" Lady had to admit that his nephew was rather adorable, the girly side of her she had tried to bury fighting to come out and was cooing at the wide stare that hadn't left her face. The hunter part of her was a bit wary, noting how his eyes kept tracking her as she moved closer.

A snort as he stroked the downy hair, letting out a deep purr when he heard a distressed whine from the baby. "It was on Fortuna."

She winced. While the statue that was supposed to be Sparda in human form on horseback in the park nearby was somewhat creepy, she found the whole worshiping of Sparda by the islanders there to be highly unnerving, and that was even through hearsay from the more experienced hunters. One man claimed to had been one of the middle-ranking members of the group, some "Order", and had fled because he found out about certain things that weren't meant for anyone else except the higher ranks. Part of the problem was that he tended to be drunk most of the time, so not a lot of hunters believed him, but now Lady was feeling a bit guilty for not taking his words a bit more seriously. "Yeah, that would definitely be a shitty place."

"Yup. Anyways, wanna hold him?" There was a wide smile on Dante's face, gesturing with his nephew still in his arms.

Lady had to fight to keep her mouth from dropping open. "I- Kids- Don't know-"

"Same with me at the start, but I'm a fast learner." He tilted his head, a teasing glint in his ice blue eyes. "What, scared you'll drop the kiddo? Been there, done that, thankfully on my bed."

"If there's one thing I've learned about demons that's absolutely true, it's that they can get protective over their offspring when there are strangers around," she snapped back almost hotly.

"Yeah, and? C'mon, kid doesn't bite. Yet." That mocking challenge growing in his smile. "Bet the kid'll like you, woncha, squirt."

A delighted baby babble when Dante rubbed their noses together, the half-devil hunter chuckling when the boy smacked him on the cheek several times.

She had never seen him this genuinely content before, in the many months they've known each other.

' _He trusts you_ ,' a voice that sounded suspiciously like her mother whispered in her head. ' _He's trusting you with the last of his family member._ '

Trust.

Maybe it was the paranoia after finding her mother's dead body and learning that it was her fa- Arkham who had done the deed, something one clan mother had commented how she was too young to be feeling cynicism towards others. She had trouble trusting for weeks, be it information or some of the fixers she and Dante would encounter, that paranoia layered behind biting words, sarcasm, and a rather prickly attitude. One weaponsmith finally told her that even if she wasn't willing to completely trust anything or anyone, she was going have to learn to fully trust again because it wasn't going to be healthy for her mind or any relationships. Hunters had to learn to trust, be it their equipment, their informants, their partners, and their instincts, or they'd be dead hunters, he had said bluntly.

She had shot at him with a missile and a bullet the first time they met. They fought each other on who would go face off Arkham and Vergil, both feeling responsible for the messes their relatives had created.

And yet...

 _"Maybe somewhere out there even a devil may cry when he loses a loved one."_

As if agreeing with his uncle, the boy made several gurgling noises, arms reaching towards her.

Letting out a soft laugh in defeat, Lady allowed herself be guided on how to position her arms properly for a secure hold. Stormy blue eyes stared at her with intense curiosity, wriggling just a bit in her unfamiliar presence. "What's his name?"

A sad yet fond smile. "Nero."

"How ironic, but... not a bad name."

"Yeah."

"He's got a grip though. Ow. OW. He bit my ear!"

"Nero, c'mon, let go of nice Auntie Lady!"

"I thought you said he doesn't bite!"

"Yet, I said! Yet!"

"Ow ow ow, Nero, please let go of my hair and stop chewing my ear!"

"Kiddo, you're not gonna get any spaghetti tonight if you don't let go!"

* * *

 **A/N:** Day 12 - "kiss on the ear". Well, for a baby Nero.


	13. Nibbles-verse: Tiptoe

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

* * *

 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

* * *

 **Nibbles-verse: Tiptoe**

When Nero stepped outside of the school's gates, he had been expecting his uncle to pick him up.

Instead, it was Lady leaning against the car with her sunglasses on. He perked up, sneakers slapping the ground as he ran towards her. "Auntie!"

A wide grin, her hand ruffling his hair. She had given up on trying to stop him from calling her "auntie", no matter how many times she said that it made her feel old. (Dante found it absolutely hilarious.) "Hey, little guy. How was today?"

"It wasn't so bad! Stupid Claude finally quit bugging me about my hair after he visited the principal's office. I think his mom yelled at him on the phone when the teacher called." He looked around, even jumping up to try to peek through the windows. "Where's Uncle Dante?"

"He has a big job today, but he might be home later tonight."

Nero nodded, climbing into the car after she opened the door. That meant Lady would be staying overnight at the shop with him and the Devil Arms. Both of them had told him that sometimes whenever Dante had big jobs, that usually meant him being away until either in the night or the next day. Nero didn't really worry too much, as he knew both his uncle and Lady beat up bad demons that would eat little kids like him and protected people, and would come home afterwards. While Lady didn't always visit, both of them always had cool stories to tell him.

(A part of him still worried about Uncle Dante, because sometimes he would come back home smelling of blood and hurt.)

"Oh, don't forget, Nero." Lady turned her head a bit. "We still have your doctor's appointment."

Nero pouted, slumping slightly and ignoring how the seatbelt dug into his shoulder. "Do we hafta, Auntie? I never get sick, and Uncle Dante never seems to go see him except talk."

A soft smile, before she ruffled his hair again. "You know your uncle heals a lot faster than normal people. He just wants to make sure you're healthy."

"I know." He knew what that extra shower stall near the kitchen was for, as well that large bed and the giant box with the red cross. "At least Doc Sláine is really nice and gives out lollipops."

His checkup went through normally, other than a mandatory shot that Sláine had to do to fill out the little booklet Lady had handed over. On the way home, Lady seemed to be thinking before taking a different turn, causing Nero to blink and pause from rubbing at the bandage on his arm.

"Hey, home's thataway, Auntie."

She gave him a wink. "I know. Since you were so good at the doctor's visit, I thought, why not a small reward?"

This was one of the few reasons why he liked Lady, eyes widening and bouncing a bit. "Ice cream?"

"My treat. One scoop only, don't want to spoil your dinner."

He could barely make up his mind when they stopped at the local small ice cream store near the park, the array of colors constantly changing as the store changed flavors throughout the year. (One of the flavors they always kept on hand was strawberry, given how often Dante visited when he couldn't get his favorite strawberry sundaes at the local diner.) Even if it was just one scoop, Nero was happy to be able to try the new gooseberry flavor in the store's own waffle cones. Just before taking a big lick, he paused, glancing up at Lady as she paid the cashier before following her outside.

Just as they reached the car, Nero tugged on one of her ammo pouches, drawing a curious stare from her. "Nero?"

He felt silly, wanting to do this thing. He's seen Uncle Dante do it a lot, even though it tended to mean Lady smacking him with a frown on her face and his uncle laughing while skipping away.

"Down." He wished he could be taller, like his uncle. Maybe when he was older.

As soon as Lady knelt down a bit, Nero stretched up on his toes and gave a quick peck to her cheek, blushing and scuffing his sneakers. "Thank you, Auntie."

He had been expecting one of the smacks he's seen his uncle get. Instead, he got a quick kiss to his cheek, as well another ruffling of his hair and a warm smile from Lady. "You're welcome, Nero."

* * *

 **A/N:** Follows "Nibble, Nibble". Day 13 - "height difference kiss".


	14. Canon-ish: Her (Play) Knight

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

* * *

 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

* * *

 **Canon-ish: Her (Play) Knight**

"Nero! Credo! Look!"

Nero glanced away from his play-swordfighting with Credo, spotting Kyrie approaching both of them with a freshly made crown of flowers on her head and another in her hands. Their parents were watching from a distance away on the blanket, having taken them out into the field for a picnic. It was nice being outside, and Nero didn't had to suffer the stares from the other townspeople for a little while.

"Whacha want, Kyrie?"

She beamed, raising the flower crown. "Lady's favor! If you and Credo are going to be knights, knights gets the lady's favor!"

Credo barely stifled the snicker at the bright pink that flushed on Nero's cheeks. He knew how rough and wild the white-haired boy could be, such as the occasional schoolyard fights on defending the smaller students against bigger bullies, but whenever it came to Kyrie, he always fell under her spell. The older teen could almost see the gears in Nero's head on trying to get away with not wearing such a "girly thing" without hurting her feelings, and failing to find the words to do so.

"Don't they use handkerchiefs?" Nero protested weakly, proving Credo's thoughts correctly. "Or something like necklaces?"

Kyrie frowned mulishly. "Some stories said they gave their tiaras."

His father was grinning while his mother was covering her mouth, eyes dancing in laughter.

Shoulders slumping in resignation, Nero tilted his head enough so that Kyrie could put the flowers on his head. Kyrie shyly touched her lips on to one of his cheek, still smiling happily as she blushed just as pink.

If Nero couldn't get any redder while bashfully shuffling his feet, Credo knew his own redness was trying not to burst out laughing as he turned his head away.

* * *

 **A/N:** Day 14 - "bashful kiss".


	15. Canon-ish: Transition

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

* * *

 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

* * *

 **Canon-ish: Transition**

They were arguing.

Loudly.

Again.

It was a miracle that Dante's neighbors hadn't called the cops on them (again) as they stomped down one of the back streets, covered in various demon fluids that was being washed away by the heavy downpour. Both lacked transportation - her on no new motorcycle replacement, him on not having paid off the second-hand convertible yet.

Neither Dante or Lady could remember exactly what they were arguing about, only that both had frustrated words that they wanted out, all the while rinsing themselves off in the back mudroom Dante had built behind his shop. Although Temen-ni-gru had returned back underground, the city was still recovering. Other than reconstructing the various infrastructures and buildings, demon extermination meant hunters flocking in, which meant competing contracts, and in Dante's case, something of a turf war as he wasn't recognized by some of the surrounding groups yet. That also meant frazzled nerves when having to deal with rival hunters or rookies who would try to muscle their way into Dante and Lady's jobs.

Inside, their snarking continued. Bursts, a staccato, word by word exchange, even almost in full automatic, as they put away their weaponry and went to patching up injuries (more hers than his). Dirty clothes were tossed into a hamper next to the washing machine to be cleaned later.

Just as some of the Devil Arms thought it would last another hour, Dante finally threw up his hands, grabbed her shoulders, and promptly kissed her on the lips.

Silence, other than the rain pattering against the window and thunder, plus the water bubbling in the kettle on the stove.

Shock on her face, as she cycled through several emotions, and then her shoulders slumped, leaning forward until her forehead rested on his chest.

"We're being idiots, aren't we," she muttered softly, tiredness in her voice.

Even with demonic stamina, he could also feel exhaustion seeping into his bones. They had been on clean-up jobs for almost a month straight. Some decent, some pathetic, but practically nonstop. Vital Stars and Devil Stars could only last them so long.

Was it any surprise that they would finally break at something.

"Yeah."

A settled quiet in the kitchen, both sharing a bowl of instant mashed potatoes, instant noodles, and soda from an actually grateful shopkeeper due to an earlier job.

* * *

 **A/N:** Day 15 - "enemies to lovers kiss".


	16. Diverge-verse: Patient Ears Attend

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

* * *

 **Bouqet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

* * *

 **Diverge-verse: Patient Ears Attend**

"You have to wonder how the heck society back then made it through."

Kyrie looked up from her copy of _Romeo and Juliet_ , a piece of chocolate Pocky sticking from her mouth. "What makes you say that?"

Nero tapped his copy, borrowed from Eva's library. "The whole feud they Montagues and Capulets had going. Sure, there are records of feuds back in Shakespeare's time and earlier, but what with the 'from ancient grudge break to new mutiny' thing, it's a miracle that cooler heads actually prevailed enough in regards to their politics. I mean, feuds were considered legal until mostly after Shakespeare's time, but they certainly could give devils holding grudges a run for their money."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Even if grudges lasted for more than 2,000 years?"

A sheepish grin at the reminder of his grandfather's notoriety. "Touche."

Kyrie giggled before letting out a sigh, staring at the homework assignment their English literature teacher had assigned them. "And we're supposed to compare and contrast with other 'star-crossed lovers' stories... Other than _Romeo and Juliet_ , the only other one that I know of is Lancelot and Guinevere of the Arthurian legends."

"I think I know one or another that's not from Europe," Nero muttered, digging about the pile of books he had grabbed from his father's personal library. "Wonder why would Dad have half of these things... Aha!"

"What is it?"

He triumphantly pulled out two sheaf of clipped papers from his backpack. "I remember asking Grandma one time about some of the books that weren't in English in Grandad's library when I was a kid and she started me with this book of Chinese legends and fairy tales. Two that struck out to me in the 'star-crossed' category was the Legend of the White Snake and the Butterfly Lovers. There's one more, but I need to look that up again."

Curiosity piqued, Kyrie quickly placed her bookmark in the Bard's most famous romantic tragedy. "How are they similar to _Romeo and Juliet_?"

"Somewhat more positive endings, but destiny and/or fate still conspires against them."

"Do tell?"

"The more sadder one of the two would have to be the Butterfly Lovers legend. Girl Zhu Yingtai convinces her dad to let her attend classes disguised as a guy, meets scholar Liang Shanbo at the same school, they decide to become sworn-brothers. Unfortunately, Yingtai has to return home, and even though she drops a ton of hints that she's a guy, Shanbo still doesn't get it. Shanbo finds out that his 'brother' is actually a woman months later, they swear on a vow that's to the point of 'till death do us part'. Unfortunately, Yingtai got set into an arranged marriage to a merchant, and Shanbo passes away from heartbreak after he becomes a county magistrate when he finds out. While she was supposed to be on her way to her wedding to the merchant's home, strong winds prevents the wedding procession from going pass the bridge near where Shanbo's grave was at. Yingtai leaves the procession to pay her respects, but of course, she becomes overwhelmed with despair and begs that his grave open up."

Kyrie knew where this was going. "Grave opens up, she jumps in."

"Bingo. Opens up with a clap of thunder at that, and Yingtai doesn't even hesitate jumping in. Their spirits come out as a pair of butterflies and thus, they fly away together, even going past 'till death do us part'. From what I've read up, it's considered one of China's Four Great Folktales, and there's been a lot of adaptations over the years, from TV to opera to music. There's even a monument in Verona, Italy, where it's considered the Chinese Romeo and Juliet."

She tapped her pencil, thinking over the truncated retelling and reminding herself to look it up after dinner. "Short of the feud, fate conspiring on preventing the two getting together in life is still the running theme. What about the snake-one?"

Nero flipped several pages. "Marginally a better ending. The Legend of the White Snake has the aforementioned White Snake fall in love with a human man because he accidentally dropped some immortality pills that she ate, which granted her a couple centuries' worth of magic, even though that kind of relationship is forbidden. There's a turtle who's got a grudge against the snake, who was also practicing magic and didn't get to eat the immortality pills. Snake turns into human, meets the guy, they fall in love and get married, turtle tries to separate the two. It's only after their kid graduates top of his class at the imperial exams that they actually get a happy ending. The White Snake's partner, the Green Snake, had vowed revenge against the turtle because he had imprisoned the White Snake in a pagoda after the kid was born. After the White Snake is reunited with her family, the Green Snake defeats the turtle, and he hides in the stomach of a crab, which is the explanation for crabs' internal fat because of the orange Buddhist monk robes the turtle used in his human disguise." Nero snorted, skimming through the rest. "Makes you wonder if devils and humans hitching up together back then might've inspired that particular legend."

"There's always some grain of truth to those legends. I wonder if we can find some of those adaptions..." Granted, it meant having to watch with subtitles due to the language barrier, but it would be interesting to see from a different country's perspective. Kyrie hummed thoughtfully, biting into a new Pocky stick. "There's still that aspect of tragedy to those stories, even with the Butterfly Lovers' 'happy ending', if you could call it that."

A shrug from Nero as he stuffed the papers back into his backpack. "Maybe partly for the sake of drama, given how some societies back then had government-sanctioned astrologers, and given how we have those horoscopes today. Besides..." A teasing smirk.

She raised an eyebrow.

He leaned in closer. "'With love's light wings did I o'er-perch these walls...'"

"'For stony limits cannot hold love out,'" Kyrie continued, quite aware of how close they were.

"'And what love can do, that dares love attempt-'"

"-therefore thy kinsmen _are_ stop to thee," a gruff voice finished from the doorway.

Blushes bloomed on both teenagers, Nero stopping and sending a somewhat baleful look at Credo, who simply quirked an eyebrow. "Your father's here."

His message delivered, Credo turned on his heel and left.

Exchanging a reluctant look with her, Nero gathered up his materials and was about to exit her room before pausing, turning back and snatching the chocolate-covered pretzel snack from her mouth and biting into it, prompting a squawk from her.

"'Wanton's bird,'" Kyrie playfully shot, pink still on her cheeks.

He grinned cheekily. "'I would I were thy bird.'"

"'Sweet, so would I. Yet I should kill thee with much cherishing. Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow.'" She couldn't help but smile a bit.

"And 'Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast!'" With that, Nero made a dramatic bow before leaving her room, grinning wider at her following giggles.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yes, the Bard of Avon. Hey, Dante quotes _Hamlet_ in DMC4. Not to mention the entirety of DMC3 is practically the _Divine Comedy_ , including Cerberus whose element is ice and is the boss of Mission 3, whereas his _Inferno_ counterpart is the guardian of the Third Circle of Hell that's subjected to icy rain.

The "Legend of the White Snake" and the "Butterfly Lovers" are actually two of China's Four Great Folklores - the other two being the "Cowherd and the Weaving Girl" and "Lady Meng Jiang". And yes, there's actually a monument of the Butterfly Lovers in Verona, Italy, that was unveiled in September 2008, what with the Butterfly Lovers being known as "the Chinese Romeo and Juliet". Both "White Snake" and "Butterfly Lovers" have had _many_ forms of adaptations over the years, from TV to movies to opera.

Day 16 - "star crossed lovers kiss".


	17. Diverge-verse: Trifecta

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

* * *

 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

* * *

 **Diverge-verse: Trifecta**

Eva groaned, blearily poking her head out from under her blankets. Mercifully, Sparda had pulled the curtains closed earlier, and thus blissful darkness greeted her sight. The only slightly painful thing to her eyeballs was the digital clock's red readout, proclaiming it to be almost dinner time.

Alas, she was down sick with the flu. (She really should've gotten that shot when the advertisements started rolling out and the change in the weather.) Sparda unfortunately had to attend a conference in her stead, Dante was still at an out of town job with Lady, Vergil was out having to deal with the lawyers on Trish's inclusion into the family, and...

Blonde eyebrows furrowed, fuzzily trying to remember what her grandson had said earlier. She eventually recalled that Nero was going to be out with his girlfriend on some errand or another, and wouldn't be back until later.

Coughing a bit, Eva wished for one of the Devil Arms to be able to help her on some things, but her throat was far too sore to even speak out loud short of a whisper, and she didn't want to insult their pride. Not to mention they were stored away in the main armory downstairs, and her muscles were at the stage of "don't want to move at all" soreness. At least her beloved shotgun Jackal was within grabbing distance. (Although the surprising block of ice from Cerberus that would give her small chips whenever she wanted was a blessing and rather kind of the proud former guardian.)

The sound of the front door opening, followed by footsteps on the hardwood floor before boots pounded up the stairs. Anticipating the knock, Eva rang the small bell that had been left at her dresser for some form of communication, which revealed her visitor to be a somewhat worried Nero.

"Hey, Grandma. Feeling any better?"

Another bought of coughing interrupted whatever she was going to say, causing him to wince.

"I'll take that as a no. Me and Kyrie went grocery shopping, and we got some stuff for something that should help. So hold off on those cough drops for a moment, Grandma."

' _My dear, sweet grandson_ ,' Eva thought happily as she resettled among her nest of pillows. ' _And hopefully my future dear, adorable granddaughter-in-law._ ' The smell of chicken soon wafted up, and Nero later reappeared with a tray holding what looked like a watery rice gruel with a sprinkle of green onions and a small pile of what smelled like ginger in a bowl, prompting a raised eyebrow.

"Rice porridge, or congee," Nero answered the unasked question as he unfolded the tray's legs. "Several of our classmates have family in various Asian countries, and were sharing foods that they ate when they were sick. The most common one was rice porridge, where it's basically simmering rice to the point of mushiness and you can either add extra water to keep it thin, or boil it longer to make it thick. It's practically a blank slate, where you can stick with just a bit of salt and pepper or try different add-ons like salted pork or fish."

Kyrie poked her head in, but stayed behind the door frame, aware of Eva's illness. "Since the West has chicken soup as a comfort food, we thought maybe trying to blend the two together. I hope it's to your satisfaction."

Curiosity piqued and already feeling hungry, Eva took a shallow sip of the soft rice flavored by the poultry and the mild bite of scallions and ginger, and gave a thumbs-up at both teens in approval. Simple, yet hopefully easy on her poor stomach.

Glad, Nero lightly kissed his grandmother's hair. "I'll come back later for the tray. Me and Kyrie will be downstairs, so just ring the bell if you need anything else."

-3-1-4-2-5-

Even with her senses partially muddled by her sickness, instincts had her promptly going for Jackal when the bedroom door opened, making sure the safety was on when Vergil's head peeked in, the hallway light creating a halo-like effect on his silver-white hair. A groggy glance at the clock showed that it was a rather late hour.

"Apologies for the intrusion, Mother," he whispered, stepping in when Eva lowered her arm. "There was a major incident on the highway and we got stuck in the middle of traffic until the first responders and highway crews cleared it out. The backup was for miles. How are you doing?"

"Bit better," she croak-whispered. Eva nodded her head in greeting at Trish, who was nervously peeking in and waved shyly in return. As bizarre as it was to have an electric she-devil looking nearly identical to her under the same roof, Eva didn't object to the somewhat fiercely protective feeling over the rather young devil. "Lawyers?"

A rueful sigh as Vergil straightened her blankets. "Almost done. We need either you or Father's signatures on some paperwork that I cannot legally sign, and Trish's addition to our family will be complete." The hint of a rather smug smirk twitched on his lips. "Some of the assistants needed... extra persuasion over certain details."

"Can't take you n'where," Eva grumbled, weakly batting her older son's arm, while enjoying the tiny giggle from Trish.

Vergil simply shrugged with an unrepentant look, ghosting his lips over his mother's hair. "They needed the lesson. Sleep well, Mother."

-3-1-4-2-5-

The familiar weight depressing on the spot next to her and the recognizable feel of nails-yet-not-claws soothingly stroking her scalp had her smiling, although Eva kept her eyes closed, still tired.

"Had fun?"

A low, amused rumble. "Quite, milady. The younglings trying to prove themselves were... entertaining."

"Dante?" she mumbled, burrowing further into her blankets.

"He has returned to his shop with Lady some time ago. Recoverable injuries, but they are both fine. They also send their love and wishes for your swift recovery."

"Stay?" she whispered, his warmth lulling her back to dreamland.

Warm lips touched her forehead. "Always. Rest now, milady."

* * *

 **A/N:** Day 17 - "3 people kiss".


	18. Diverge-vrs: Challenge Somewhat Accepted

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

* * *

 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

* * *

 **Diverge-verse: Challenge Somewhat Accepted**

' _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ ' Kyrie chanted in her head, books clutched tightly against her chest. She didn't know why she had said "yes".

"-the Hell y'all daring her to do this right in front everyone?! Y'all outta be 'shamed of yerselves!"

"Oh, please, Goldstein. We've all known since middle school," the head cheerleader tutted.

"Still ain't right to push her like this!" Nico's accent became even thicker in her fury. "Sugar wanna go at her own pace, let her go at her own pace! How'd you feel if I pushed one yer gals into something they weren't ready for, like her and that guy from Beckman's-"

"Shut up, Goldstein! Eleison's been mooning over him since at least sixth grade!" Lisbeth Ecsed immediately snapped. "She can either suck it up and get it over with, or forget about it and let another have a shot!"

If Nico's narrowed eyes couldn't be any more indicative of her rage, Kyrie swore her curls were puffing up like an angry cat's fur as if gearing up. Some of the boys immediately shuffled back, several of them having been on the receiving end of the tinkerer's temper that bordered on righteous fury.

"Nico, I'll be okay," Kyrie whispered just as the bespectacled girl was about to open her mouth again, one hand tugging her friend's leather vest. The feeling of the stares from the others increased, and she could already make out hints of phone cameras peeking through the gaps. Mercifully, none of the teachers were around, but that wasn't to say if one of the more mindful janitors was listening in from out of view.

Seeing the pleading look on her friend's face - nearly polar opposites yet almost like peas in a pod since elementary school - Nico deflated before making a frustrated growl while running a hand through her hair. "Fine. But don' say I didn't warn y'all." The last part was directed at the barely smirking clique with a jabbing finger.

A stupid dare. That's what it all was. Part of Kyrie was frustrated at being caught out like that, but another part of her forced her legs to walk towards the white-haired teen who apparently had been focused on talking with the basketball team's vice captain, no doubt discussing about the upcoming game with their rival school. Finally reaching behind him, Kyrie took in a deep breath, steeling herself. The weight of the stares seemed to increase, and she could almost feel the barely restrained fury from Nico. ' _I owe her a sundae after this. Maybe that box of metal scraps Credo has in the garage..._ '

One gray eyebrow quirked up when Nero turned around, having noticed the vice captain's attention behind him. "Kyrie?"

"Nero, I..."

Losing her nerve had her dropping her gaze - being straight forward and showing the type of confidence Nico had was never her style, preferring a more quieter approach, and the unwanted audience wasn't helping things. (Audiences for performances she could handle, this not so much.) Thus she missed Nero briefly scanning the crowd around them with just his eyes without their schoolmates realizing it, a barely restrained touch of annoyance on his features. She also missed the barely visible soft smile on his face when he looked at her bowed head.

"I..."

Calloused fingers gently lifted her chin up and warm lips met hers, causing her to blink in rapid shock before he pulled back, his smile now visible. The squeals and wolf whistles from the other students were barely acknowledged to either of them, Kyrie staring wide-eyed at Nero, knowing her cheeks had to rival his red vest. She barely even registered Nico crowing in the background with vindicated glee, the shell casings jingling on her boots.

"You didn't want to do it." His smile turned fonder, and his hand moved to cup her cheek tenderly. "So I did it for you."

Amber eyes continued to blink at stormy blue eyes in bewilderment.

Nero leaned in closer, voice low for her hearing only and ignoring the additional wolf whistles. "Just so you know, I also had a crush on you for a long while."

She couldn't help but smile in relief, delight replacing mortification.

* * *

 **A/N:** Day 18 - "kissing cause of a dare".


	19. Nibbles-verse: Clock In, Clock Out

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

* * *

 **Bouqet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

* * *

 **Nibbles-verse: Clock In, Clock Out**

The front door creaked open, but Dante didn't look up from the typewriter that he had been poking away at. Lady had insisted that he keep case files of every job he took, as well write up on the older ones. He had initially resisted the idea, but seeing how Nero wasn't old enough to read certain hunting texts yet and was already showing interest in following his footsteps, the half-devil eventually acquiesced. The typewriter came about after both nephew and hunting partner bluntly told him his normal writing was worse than even a doctor's note.

"If you need to answer nature's call, it's in the back. If you're here because you think this is one of those costume shops, there's a better one two blocks over. And if you think-

"-that this is the location for certain types of 'dirty jobs' to be handled by certain types of 'handymen', then I believe that I'm at the right place, Mr. Alighieri," a slightly older woman's voice rasped out in amusement.

Turning his head, Dante studied the woman with streaks of gray in her black hair who was settling into one of the chairs across from his desk. While her clothes didn't quite scream money, her bearing and the purse's design pointed at older money. The guy who looked about his age staying near the door - while trying not to wrinkle his nose at the obvious chaos - resembled the woman in both facial features and scent, indicating a family member. The suit he wore looked ridiculously new, but that could be because of a really good dry cleaner and being good with ironing. Although upon noticing the demon skulls impaled by various blades on the wall behind Dante, the man's attitude turned a bit more cautious.

And then there was that weird hint of melancholic fondness in the woman's green eyes when she looked at Dante as she crossed a leg.

"Call me Dante. You have a name, lady?" Fingers twirled a pen after digging out a somewhat abused legal pad from under a pile of books.

"Mustang, Chris Mustang. The boy behind me is my nephew, Roy."

Some minor eye rolling at the "boy" reference, but he nodded his head in greeting.

While he was never one for taking notes, Lady's suggestion of doing so had resulted in more amicable clients, probably regarding appearances, and so he decided to keep the habit. "And what brings a madame like you to my shop that'd require handling a 'dirty job'? Couldn't find a better contractor?"

An un-ladylike snort of amusement, putting away the cigarette that she had been about to light up after he narrowed his eyes at the object. "Due to certain circumstances out of my control, the board that I'm a part of had decided to host one of our upcoming annual charity galas at a different venue. Normally, it'd be held at the civic center down in Cabot that we had been using for the last several years, but one of the board members had insisted on a different event hall and demanded... certain accommodations be made."

The slight creak from upstairs told him that Nero was probably peeking through the banister to listen in on. At least the kid didn't come barreling down like in the earlier days after he started to learn how to walk.

"Cabot?" Dante whistled after checking through his mental maps and a quick glance at the one that hung next to the small fridge. "Hell of a trip you made to up here. And these 'accommodations' would happen to be..."

"Placements of specific statues." Several photos were placed on his desk. To the normal eye, the gargoyle-like creatures looked like something out of fantasy role-playing game or the gargoyles that sat on older churches. "One of my subordinates who had been on site in helping supervising the setup had shown those statues to a cousin of hers out of curiosity. Apparently, her cousin either ran in the same circles as you do or knows... certain things, because her cousin had practically demanded that those statues be, and I quote, 'promptly pulverized to dust and thrown into lava because you do not want to leave those things with naive folks when the wine gets flowing', albeit with far more colorful language."

To Dante, the statues reminded him of the Damned Chessmen and several even looked like Blood-Goyles, and there was still that twinge that screamed "demon" from the normal photographs. Demonic statues plus unsuspecting party goers plus flowing alcohol at a party equaled headache. Great. He supposed that it was a good thing both he and Lady had been reading up on property damage ordinances and insurance laws, and figuring out loopholes with some lawyers that were friendly with them. (Namely lawyers whose butts that he and Lady had had to bail out of various chompy and stabby situations. Sure, both of them still had to pay legal fees, but the discounts were good enough.)

He tapped his pen while making out some of the details of the event hall. "I'm not going to be the only handyman there, am I?"

Large galas meant a lot of civilians, and if there was one thing any hunter disliked, it was a large number of panicking civilians for one hunter to deal with. Rivalries aside, most tried to work together with the local law enforcement to get the normies - as some of the more snarkier ones termed - out safely.

Mustang shook her head. "You won't be the only one asked to attend. Several of my colleagues had also shared their concerns with me privately and we had all agreed on requesting the services of several other hunters as 'additional private security'. However..."

' _Figures._ ' "What's the catch?"

"Black tie, and it's recommended if you came with an escort," Roy finally spoke up, stepping forward but staying behind his aunt. "We're asking the same of the others so as to hopefully not tip off whatever shenanigans that's being attempted. Since this charity is for St. Pharaildis Children's Hospital, many of the attending guests will be bringing their children along as well."

Dante wasn't liking the train of thought his hunter side had started up, his protective devil instincts immediately trying to Million Stab on that idea's tires. He didn't need to see the hopeful look on Nero's face.

And yet the fact that kids were also going to be present...

Dante sighed, rubbing the back of his head in resignation. "Fine. But don't expect the venue to be standing in one piece, and whichever insurance companies that's covering this gig better be notified right."

Mustang simply smiled, that nostalgic fondness in her eyes again.

-3-1-4-2-5-

"Do we hafta wear these things, Uncle Dante?" Nero grumbled, tugging at his necktie with one hand while still holding his plate in the other. Bad enough to be constantly cooed at "how adorable" he was by the many women who'd pass by them at the buffet table, much to his humiliation.

"Stow it, squirt," Dante muttered from the corner of his mouth. He fought the urge to fuss with his bow tie, not liking the constricting sensation around his neck either or the feeling of the tuxedo that Roy had lent him. At least he was building up resistance on trying not to crow to the world on how cute his nephew was each time the boy rubbed his nose and blushed at the comments from most of the female guests. (Because he will call bullshit right there to their faces if they said otherwise because they're lying or they don't know any better.) "If I have to suffer through this, you have to suffer through this, too. You wanted to come, remember? To give me 'better cover'?"

"Yeah, yeah." Nero finally gave up and decided to eat another fruit tart, sliding his gaze over to the waiters that were carrying trays of flutes and glasses.

"No."

Nero pouted. "I didn't even ask."

Dante snorted, taking another sip of champagne from his flute, trying not to grimace at the taste. Give him whiskey or a good beer any day, even an ale. "I'm a lot of things, but letting a minor have access to alcohol isn't one of them. Don't need you buzzed and Child Services coming down on my ass."

"You're drinking."

"Legal age and can process it faster, kiddo." He subtly nodded his head in greeting at a hunter he recognized standing near the open balcony, the grizzled brunette returning with a two-finger salute. "Plus, we're still on the clock. Remember what we talked about?"

"Things go pear-shaped, I make sure the other kids are safe," the quarter-devil recited softly, quickly becoming somber.

"And you know to let Cerberus loose if it gets too hot?"

"I let Cerberus loose if it gets too hot, Uncle." More serious, Nero went with nibbling the rest of his food pile. For whatever reason, the icy Hellhound was quite fond of Nero and allowed himself to be used by the young quarter-devil occasionally. (Although Nero was sure that it had to do with the fact that the left head really enjoyed scratches behind its ears, much to Cerberus and his right head's chagrin.)

A sad smile, and Dante patted his nephew's head comfortingly, chest warming when Nero leaned into the gesture. While Nero had insisted on coming along with all of his childish attitude, the devil hunter could sense the desire to protect. He had lost count of the times of having to be called into the exasperated but understanding principal's office whenever Nero got into fights, namely those against bullies that were picking on their smaller schoolmates. While some of the more serious fights had to go into Nero's record, Dante couldn't help but be extremely proud of his nephew. ' _Heh, just like Father - awoken to justice._ '

Heels clicking towards his direction brought him out of his musings and he had to blink at the sight of Lady in a rather stunning knee-length green dress rapidly headed towards their direction. The other guests that weren't neatly shoved aside barely moved out of the way, probably sensing her annoyance that was simmering right below the surface. Said annoyance was belied by the incredibly cheerful smile plastered on her face, while one hand was tightly clamped on a matching purse.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you two!"

Even Nero was gawking, pausing on biting into his cheese stick.

"La-"

Dante got cut off when he felt a quick peck on his left cheek as toned arms all but threw themselves around his neck.

"Play along. Bastard's been after me the whole night," she hissed into his ear.

A low smirk when Dante spotted the unwanted pursuer squeezing his way through. "Took you long enough, babe. Been waiting for a long while," Dante purred loud enough for others to hear, his empty arm snaking around her waist.

Disappointment showed on the young man's face when he finally caught up. "You-"

Lady batted her eyelashes. "I forgot to mention about this. My apologies, Paulson."

"You look real pretty, Auntie," Nero piped up, quickly catching on to the game. If it wasn't for the fact that they were more or less undercover, Nero would've been grinning.

"Aw, why thank you." Lady couldn't help the genuine smile as she ruffled the boy's hair, much to his continuing embarrassment when he blushed again. "At least someone has good taste."

Brown eyes whipped to the boy in further despair and stared. Stormy blue stared back, unblinking but not moving from behind Dante's leg. With a sigh, Paulson muttered something about another engagement and excused himself, making a beeline for the alcohol table.

When the last of the curious stares turned away, Lady finally relaxed before frowning. "You can let go now."

"No." A childish gleamed entered Dante's eyes, quite enjoying himself.

She wriggled, but it was like trying to move a steel band. "Dante," Lady growled lowly.

"Magic word," he teased in a sing-song tone. He hadn't had a chance to tease his old friend in a long while, and although Dante would never admit it out loud, he missed Lady being in his shop.

"We're still on the clock, Uncle Dante," Nero muttered _sotto voce_ behind his glass of juice, eyes rolling at his relative's silliness.

Lady looked back at him with a smirk. "See, even your nephew has some professionalism."

Just as Dante reluctantly loosened his arm, screams rang out when one of the statues came to life with a roar, spitting out a glob of something sticky as it sent several of the guests crashing into a wall. That set off a chain reaction of the other demonic statues coming to life and sending the civilian guests panicking.

"And I was just about to go for some of that wagyu prime rib roast." Dante sighed, eyes rolling upward in exasperation, twirling Ebony and Ivory out from his shoulder holsters. "Don't think they'll mind if I take the whole thing in this mess?"

"Or you could bill it to your client afterwards. I'm going to get my mine to give me that high quality tiramisu." Tying her dress to the side revealed Lady had been wearing biker shorts and ammo pouches strapped to her thigh holsters. "Come on, let's get to work."

Already, Nero had run off to gather up the children that couldn't get back to their parents in time, ushering them towards one of the "safe rooms" that had been set up with wards surreptitiously.

"Yee-haw!" One of the hunters that the pair recognized flew past them, having used her scarf to lasso on to the tail of a flailing Blood-goyle and whooping as if it was a rodeo before pulling out her shotgun. "Show time, boys!"

Dante shot a glare at Lady as he took off the head of a moth demon that was spawning far down the hall with Ebony. "And you call me unprofessional."

Lady simply shrugged as she took off, SMG in one hand and her pistol in the other.

In a way, the pair were glad for the presence of the additional hunters, even with the rivalries. Where most were obviously on extermination duty, several had split off to evacuate the civilians to safety and a couple had headed towards the kids' room. Dante was surprised to see Roy dashing about the chaos, snapping the fingers of one gloved hand that sent bursts of fire towards the more fleshly gargoyles, the other hand firing away what looked like a modified Beretta.

"Fancy seeing you here!" Dante called out, easily sniping another moth demon with a thrown steak knife. "Neat trick, think you can teach me?"

A smirk as Roy ducked talons. "If you can sit through years of classes, I might." A wasp-like demon burst into flames, shrieking into death as it turned to ashes.

"Eh, I've got alternatives." A back flip turned into a bicycle kick, his steel toe boots crushing a jaw before finishing off with Ivory. "Who's your partner?"

What sounded like a fond sigh that was almost missed amidst the hail of gunfire and screeching. "My wife."

Dante had seen the blonde woman with her hair clipped up hanging on Roy's arm earlier, no doubt his escort for the night. While she looked like half of the trophy wives flitting about the hall, the blonde hid a no-nonsense air about her. Currently, she was practically dancing about with sheer efficiency and aiming precision alongside Lady's own firearms, pulling ammo magazines out from under her dress, no doubt having the same idea as Lady of hiding her holsters.

A somewhat devious grin grew on Dante as an idea formed, causing a wary look from Roy. "Hey, Lady!"

"A little busy here, Dante!" She punctuated her point by throwing a bottle of Holy Water into the air, which was promptly shattered by Roy's wife shooting it and causing much screeching of pain as the sanctified water rained down on a group of rushing demons.

"Kill count contest! Me and Roy, you and his wife!"

Lady bit back a groan. "Wager?"

"Bragging rights! If not that, dinner at that fancy German restaurant four blocks north, losers pay!"

She glanced over at her impromptu partner, who simply gazed back with confidence in tawny eyes. Lady smirked, slamming in a fresh magazine. "You're on!"

-3-1-4-2-5-

Between the women's cache of ammunition, Dante switching between Gunslinger and Trickster, and Roy's fire glove, the pairs wound up to a tie in the end. Roy ran a tired hand through his soaked hair, the sprinklers having activated when one of the gargoyles started spitting fireballs and caused the drapes to catch. He could already imagine the building's owners getting at it with the insurance agents and the lawyers. "So, how are we going to do with that wager?"

Dante shrugged, watching the coroner, police, and one of the local priest take away the bodies had been the key source of the trouble of the charity gala. One of the hired hunters had found the room where the board member had been killed by her magic-practicing co-conspirator for stiffing on the payment, and the partner got his throat taken out when he lost control of summoning. Dante readjusted his grip on Nero's legs when the boy made several sleepy noises from his back. "Split the bill in half, I suppose. Sorry about ruining the tux. The party crashers weren't taking 'no' for an answer."

"Nothing to worry about." Roy gave a wry smile, his own tuxedo equally ruined with tears and scorch marks. "I've been looking for an excuse to get rid of that particular one."

In the distance, the men could see their female partners and fellow hunters talking with several police members that were taking their statements. Dante had already given his, and Roy was simply waiting for his turn, currently fiddling with a metal lighter that had what looked like an alchemical circle etched on its side. The large crowd of guests were also being sorted on having their statements taken down, although several had to be taken to the local hospitals for injuries. To the relief - and disbelief - of every hired hunter, no one had died, other than the perpetrators.

"Ah, there you are, Dante, Roy-boy."

Ignoring the put-upon sigh, Dante turned to see a somewhat mussed Chris Mustang walking up to them. "So, what's the damage?" He was already bracing for the high number on the deduction.

Mustang simply shook her head, taking a drag of her cigarette after Roy lit it up before he got called in by an officer. "None. You'll be paid in full."

Icy blue eyes widened in shock, having been so used to getting the pay docked often, mostly due to property destruction. "After this whole mess from the fire and water damages plus whatever amount of ammo we let loose?"

"As I've said, you'll be paid in full." There was a mischievous glint in the older woman's eyes. "I specifically hired you. Each of us board members had hired individually so as to minimize the financial costs to the board's treasury when the insurance gives us their final calculations - we'll be paying most of the the non-covered damages ourselves. I'll also be wiring you a bonus, for your nephew's admirable assistance on keeping the children safe."

Pride bloomed in his chest upon hearing that, and Dante fought the urge to rub the side of his nose like Nero would, opting to simply shrug. "Kid wanted to help. I'm not going to stop him from that."

"A family tradition, I can certainly see that." Again, that look of melancholy as she looked at him, as if searching for something.

Dante studied the older woman again in turn, a blank expression on his face this time. "You knew my mother, didn't you."

The only sounds were that of the fire engines and hoses at work, and the chirps of the ambulances' sirens as they took off. Mustang finally sighed, turning away and taking a slow drag. "We were the best of friends from middle school and past college. We still kept in touch after I took over the family business and she went into demon hunting. Somewhere along the way, we had a fallout over something ridiculously childish and we stopped talking to each other. The last I heard of her was getting married before learning that she had died through one of my informants - seeing your surname when I was looking up devil hunters was pure coincidence, and I wanted to make sure." Mustang gazed at him sadly, regret weighing down on her shoulders. "You share some of her features, you know."

That hidden spiked ball of grief that had lessened over the years flared a little. "Yeah, I know." Nero's soft breathing against the back of his neck soothed it back down, small arms draped over his shoulders and warm body bonelessly - and trustingly - relaxed against him as a living reminder.

Another sigh, smoke billowing out from her nose. "In which case, expect your payment within two to three days. Regarding your wager between my nephew and niece-in-law, have it billed to my name. I hope you have a safe trip home."

Dante still wasn't sure on what to make of the info bomb from the older woman as she walked off, simply nodding as she passed by Lady. Concern showed in heterochromatic eyes as the huntress reached him, recognizing his body language. "Are you going to be fine?"

"...I'll be okay." Granted, it wasn't the same maelstrom of emotions he had felt when he first met Nero, but meeting someone from his mother's past was an unexpected surprise. Good or bad, Dante didn't know yet.

Lady simply hummed thoughtfully, watching as the first responders continued their work on putting out the fires and treating the injured.

"By the way..."

She side-eyed him warily, already a bit exhausted.

Dante returned the look back. "What the hell was with that kiss? You could've just said it." Gray eyebrows waggled suggestively. "Thinking seriously about it?"

An internal debate went on inside her. Either Lady could tell him that it was primarily to get her tail off of her, tell him that maybe there was that little "something", or she could just say nothing.

Simply smirking, Lady decided to not answer and headed towards her car, ignoring the protests that followed after her. Her client had promised the tiramisu she wanted, and she was going to savor the dessert.

* * *

 **A/N:** Follows "Nibble, Nibble". Yes, I can see Dante with an old school typewriter. I actually got myself one and I thought it'd fit with his old school _rotary_ phone.

Why, yes, Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye of _Fullmetal Alchemist_ as guests. Chris Mustang is actually Christmas Mustang, Roy's biological aunt/adopted mother.

St. Pharaildis is the patron saint in regards to curing childhood diseases. Obviously, inspiration from the real world St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Day 19 - "fake dating kiss".


	20. Nobles-verse: Volar Ōsculor

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

* * *

 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

* * *

 **Nobles-verse: Volar Ōsculor**

The door knock early in the morning brought shared confused looks between the siblings just as they were setting the table for their morning meal. Squaring his shoulders, Credo made sure his sword was within reach and opened to a brilliantly smiling woman with golden hair, a somewhat blank-faced black-haired male who looked to be her guard standing at ease (if the pointed ears weren't enough of an indicator of a devil in human form, Credo would eat his boots), and a barely-hiding-his-sheepishness Nero holding the horses' reins while a large wolf-like dog sat on its haunches next to him (and if that dog wasn't also a demon in disguise, the hat would follow the boots). Credo had to fight an eyebrow twitch when he heard Kyrie nearly fumble one of the plates, no doubt realizing who their guests were. Protocol had him sketching a low bow, as was proper in the difference of their ranks.

"Good morning, Lady Alighieri. How may House Eleison be of service to you?"

If her smile could be brighter, it would definitely outshine the sun that was starting to creep over the horizon. "A good morning to you as well, Captain Eleison. Some things regarding my grandson has come to my attention, and I wish to discuss it with you."

He could almost see that one particular nosy neighbor peeking through her window, the gossipy old bird no doubt ready to spread word once the markets opened. "My sister and I were just about to have our morning meal."

The surprise and then sheepishness seemed rather unbefitting of a such a high-ranking lady, but at the same time it didn't detract her standing. Rather, it further emphasized her blood relation to Nero. "Oh, dear. I might have overestimated on how early to leave."

"My liege did warn you about that before we left, milady," the dark-haired bodyguard murmured. There was a twitch to the corner of his lip. Be it amusement or something else, Credo wasn't quite sure yet.

"Bah, the early birds gets the early worms, Modeus," the lady waved it off. "I suppose we could return at a more convenient time..."

"If milady does not mind," Credo spoke up, certain ideas being rearranged in his mind, "it would be of no issue for milady and your entourage to join my sister and I at our table."

Delight - and was that a smidgen of triumph? - dominated her eyes. "Then I will be happy to join you. Nero, look after our rides. Modeus, please fetch my writing desk. If you have a drawing room to briefly spare, captain."

"At your leisure, Lady Alighieri."

"Eva, please call me that." Her eyes softened upon seeing the family portrait that hung near the fireplace. The younger - and smiling - Credo captured in oils was a stark contrast to the stern-faced man who was standing before her.

Credo blinked at such a permission, and merely tilted his head. "My home is at your service, Lady Eva."

-3-1-4-2-5-

Geryon grumbled to himself, quietly eating the provided oats and hay from the provided trough. He would've preferred flesh and blood, but the dried plants would have to suffice for the time being until the return home. At least Modeus had strapped the blood lick disguised as a salt lick on to one of the stall's hook for him. No need to further spook his mistress's horse, or their host's own horse even though it had instinctively shied away from his position - Master Dante had already given him an earful from that last meeting for deliberately needling the bounty hunters' mortal horses into a panicking stampede. Although, maybe...

/"Mistress would be mad at you for intimidating the neighbors again,"/ Orthus spoke, one ear twitching as he sniffed around the small garden. He might have been born in the Demon World, but the variety of smells that the Human World provided always fascinated him. Unlike his older sibling Cerberus who complained half the time, Orthus relished living in the Human World, having been brought over as a young pup by Lord Sparda due to being the runt. He also like having Nero as his master, who was so much more fun and interesting, and he didn't had to worry about being punished for even the smallest of transgressions.

A snort as the demonic horse drank from the water trough. /"Please, you think too little of me. I was thinking of a... simple trot around."/

An unbelieving look, the Hellhound pausing on examining a bucket of apples that hadn't been taken in to the house yet. /"Better it not be an 'enthusiastic walk' that Master Vergil sometimes like to go on."/

An ear flickered dismissively. /"I implied nothing."/

Another snort, although Orthus decided to leave it as is, going back to smelling about the small garden. Some of the plants in their neat rows irritated his nose, while others were quite pleasant. Hearing the sounds of clucking and the smell of prey almost had the demonic wolf-like dog pouncing on the chickens, but past experience forced him to instead mock-chase the farm birds. Mistress Eva's head cook had given him such a scolding the one time he had accidentally killed several of the hens the estate kept out of predatory instinct, he had been punished by turning the kitchen's roasting spit and wasn't allowed along any hunting trips for a month. Never did he want to endure that kind of boredom again.

Talking from Master Nero and the young lady Kyrie had him twitching one ear towards them as they left the backdoor with baskets in hand, but he stayed where he was on inspecting the chicken coop. Although his master wasn't as uptight as Master Vergil, Orthus could tell that Master Nero was far more relaxed around Kyrie at the moment, softer as well. From a traditional devil's perspective, such emotion would've been mocked at. Not long after being brought into the Human World, Orthus had once asked Master Dante why humans, for all their frailty compared to devils, could become almost if not more terrifying than some of the more powerful devils.

He had gotten a small smile alongside a pleasing scratch behind his ears. "Heart."

The answer had confused the young demon canine for some time. As he continued living with Lord Sparda and his family, Orthus gradually started to comprehend the answer. He had seen how ferocious Mistress Eva got when several other mercenaries had taunted young Mistress Trish, even though the younger she-devil had been originally created in her image as a trap, verbally flaying the men and women in no simple terms that Trish was her daughter in all but blood. He had seen how for all his aloofness and stoicism he exuded, Master Vergil was patient and understanding when training Master Nero despite their different approaches to battle. Even that human hunter that Master Dante often worked with, Lady, had shown compassion to Orthus when he had badly poisoned one time, ignoring his snarls of being seen in such a weak state and lightly smacking him on the nose to please stay quiet while she changed the bandages.

Now, seeing Master Nero interact with Kyrie by willingly help her gather some of the vegetables from the garden, the two of them discussing some topic on human food preparation, while sneaking brushes of their hands, had Orthus understanding just a bit more. Understanding why Lord Sparda had sided with the humans, and why some of the devils encountered had been spared their lives.

"Ah, Orthus, correct?"

Hearing his name had him cocking his head towards Kyrie, who was standing next to a wary Geryon (and leaning into the brushing that Master Nero was doing on his mane). Curious, Orthus loped his way over and sat down in front of them, his head tilting in the opposite direction.

"Would it be alright if I shared an apple with him and Geryon, Lord Nero?"

Master Nero briefly colored and scratched the side of his nose, as if not expecting that question. "It's fine. Both of them could use a bit of variety in their diet."

At the thought of trying something new of the Human World, Orthus couldn't help but wag his tail faster, letting out an excited yip and tongue lolling out. /"Yes, please!"/

He wasn't sure if she had heard him speak, but either way, she smiled as she carefully quartered and cored one of the apples he had seen earlier with a knife. Two slices were offered to Geryon with a flat palm, who sniffed at them suspiciously before delicately taking the fruit from her hand with his lips and chewed slowly.

/"They are... satisfactory."/ Another dismissive snort, but the demonic equine's eyes didn't stop glancing over at the apple-filled bucket.

The remaining two pieces she offered to Orthus. He also sniffed at the fruit, taking in the sweetness and a hint of tang before carefully taking one from her palm. The unexpected crunch reminded the Hellhound of crunching on bones provided by the butcher, but easier and the burst of juice was a surprise to his tongue. Rather liking it, he immediately wolfed down the other slice, prompting giggles from Kyrie when he licked her hand, wanting more of the apple juice and taking in her scent.

He hoped for one day to be able to call her "Mistress Kyrie", eyes closing blissfully as she scratched under his chin.

* * *

 **A/N:** Follows "Hand-Kissing". "Volar" is the anatomical term that refers to the palm of the hand, or the sole of the foot, " _vola_ " being the Latin root word. "Ōsculor" is first person present verb Latin for "I kiss", or "I embrace", or "I value".

Day 20 - "palm kiss".


	21. Nibbles-verse: Waraizome

_Devil May_ Cry © Capcom

* * *

 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

* * *

 **Nibbles-verse: Waraizome**

She was going have to make rearrangements, but that had always been planned.

(She couldn't blame him, what with both of them willing.)

Guess it was a good thing that she had recently turned down that job offer.

(She did blame that infernal green fairy, though.)

If Lady had met that old martial arts master again, he would've chided her for being "too many mind."

Her boot catching on an uplifted piece of the concrete sidewalk and skidding on a patch of ice reminded her of that remark, forcing her to focus a little more on her surroundings and ignoring some of her injuries straight off from a job. A fresh scrape on her knee against a brick wall and also spraining her ankle added insult to her already present wounds. She was glad that the city had finally replaced the street lamps in this part of the neighborhood with fresh bulbs that were brighter, although the spacing between each post still left much to desire for.

Yet her mind and emotions were still a mess, barely registering an almost worried Dante ushering her to his sofa after she entered through the doors of Devil May Cry, Nero promptly running to get the first aid kit and an ice pack. Both were usually used to her barging in by slamming the doors open, instead of quietly limping in.

Water and antiseptic stinging the open cuts had her foggily watching Dante taking care of her wounds, softly explaining to an attentive Nero on the motions and why. Even though both part-devils had demonic healing to handle most of their injuries and Vital Stars, the two adults felt that knowing how to administer first aid was still important to teach to Nero. Something in Lady marveled at how the half-devil hunter had grown, far from the reckless teenager she had first encountered at Temen-ni-gru, now a somewhat more responsible adult. The easiest term that came to her mind was "matured", although he still had that cocky attitude. Except maybe "matured" wasn't right given his continual like of flair for the occasional dramatics - "mellowed out a bit" seemed more apt, as Dante carefully removed her boots and set about wrapping her sprained left ankle with practiced ease. Lady fuzzily noticed how one of his hands rubbed slow circles above the elastic bandage after he was done, as if more than just massaging her muscles.

' _They deserve to know_ ,' her conscience whispered in her mind.

"Lady?" Nero spoke up softly, having plopped himself next to her on the sofa. "Uhm..."

Both adults turned to look at him.

Aware of the attention on him, Nero nearly shrunk into himself, his usual roughness briefly gone. "Uhm... Please don't take this the wrong way, but you smell kinda... funny."

Lady simply stared at the young quarter-devil. Being offended was the last thing on her mind at that unexpected shot.

"In what way?" Dante asked, just as quiet. His nephew eagerly accepted the offered hand, almost squeezing tightly as if to take in the reassurance.

"It's not a 'bad' funny." Nero fidgeted while rubbing the side of his nose. "Like, you still smell the same, but... extra, I think?" He blushed fiercely, ducking his head. "Sorta like the moms we'd sometimes see at the park or run into at the store or on the street."

At her hitched breath, Dante switched to gaze at her solemnly, having not let go of her ankle. Even with the desk lamp and the moon being the primary sources of light in the room, she could see the glimmer of a glow in icy blue eyes behind bangs that hinted at his barely surfacing thoughts as he patiently waited.

In the past, her younger self would have snarked at the thought of putting "patient" and "Dante" together within the same sentence.

 _"I won't tell them, given doctor-patient confidentiality," Sláine's gentle voice spoke, barely registered in her mind. His white doctor's coat reflected the brightness of the overhead lights that all but stabbed into her eyes. On her lap, his Maine Coon purred softly, bushy tail twitching as she absentmindedly stroked the feline. "But you know you can't hide it from either of them forever and you know how word spreads through the grapevine. Better directly from you than through rumors."_

A cloud briefly passed over the moon, yet the glow from his eyes remained, still waiting.

"A little over three and a half months," she finally whispered, hunching her shoulders slightly. The feeling of weakness wasn't unfamiliar, hating it while traversing Temen-ni-gru, hating it ever more in the library, hating it even after she _finally pulled the trigger_. Lady disliked showing any form of vulnerability, but this was an entirely different shape, especially when it came to these two. "I even went to Sláine. It's partly why I haven't visited in awhile."

Lady didn't need to look to know that there was a gaping expression on Nero's face.

"...just takes one night, huh." Dante couldn't help but chuckle softly at Nero's nose wrinkling. Even though it was buried emotions coming to the fore, a minor bit of alcohol from his bar had been involved that night.

"When did you know?" She knew that devils had sensitive noses, although their sensitivity varied from individual to individual.

"Not long after you came in." His hand moved from her wrapped ankle and grasped hers, rubbing a thumb over slim fingers bearing scarred knuckles when she didn't resist. He traced a new white line on her index finger, wondering the story behind that one. "Wasn't sure if you were ready or not to spill the beans."

Lady pondered if this was how Eva felt when she found out on expecting the twins, Sparda probably as well. Lady knew she could never fully give up devil hunting - her soul would never allow that - yet she hadn't thought of pausing or easing off temporarily. And then the thought of continuing alone...

"Do you two mind..."

Both stayed silent, watching her. Nero was practically holding his breath.

A spartan apartment that always had that sense of coldness, even during the harshest of summers. Like how other hunters and some agents would often describe her behind her back.

"...if I stayed here..."

Except these two. Never these two.

Dante continued gazing at her, his expression betraying very little of his inner thoughts. Internally, he wondered if this was how his parents felt when they found out they were expecting him and Vergil. From what little he was able to dig up and/or badger from various old timers, he knew his mother was no slouch back in the day, even before meeting his father. Noticing the change in Lady's scent had brought up a small cloud of emotions within him, similar to how he had felt when the orphanage called about Nero. True, neither part-devils had the best track record for luck on a lot of things. Yet in spite of all the bumps and screw ups along the way, Dante felt like he had done a pretty good job with how happy Nero was growing up so far.

Teal-and-maroon eyes met ice blue eyes head on, the fire that he had seen in her from Temen-ni-gru flaring again. "...permanently?"

Nero looked at his uncle almost hopefully.

Hearing Lady say that last part out loud intensified the building cloud into a miniature storm inside Dante's chest. The devil half of him that was extremely protective over Nero had already proverbially included Lady under their wings, and it wasn't going to accept "no". (Not that he was going to argue with it, especially after this revelation.) Without a word, Dante yanked their arms forward, ignoring their squawks of surprise as he spun them, setting himself on the sofa and wrapping his arms around both of them after maneuvering Lady into sitting across his lap and Nero on her. As his nephew started protesting and wriggling about, she stared up at Dante in surprise before sagging weakly against him. Out of relief, exhaustion, or a combination of both, Dante wasn't sure but his chest tightened when she didn't move her head away, allowing him to touch their foreheads together.

One thing was for certain: Dante was going to make damn sure to not let his childhood be repeated. He got this far with Nero, he would definitely continue to do so with Lady.

"We'll figure it out together." Lips brushed her forehead just as the clock struck midnight. "Indy ploys and all."

He smiled at her teary laughter, ignoring the confused look from Nero, and simply tightened his hold around them.

Outside, the city set off fireworks to herald in the new year.

* * *

 **A/N:** Follows "Nibble, Nibble". Day 21- "midnight kiss".

"Waraizome" 笑い初め means "first smile of the year" or "first laughter of the year" in Japanese, a term used when celebrating New Years in Japan. Basically, to greet the new year lightheartedly. The site Japan Talk has a section on Japanese New Years.

I don't know where this came from in my head, but... DantexLady, FITE ME.


	22. Canon-ish: Matins

_Devil May_ Cry © Capcom

* * *

 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

* * *

 **Canon-ish: Matins**

"Nero, what is it?" Kyrie tried not to wriggle in her seat, straining her hearing to compensate for her temporary lack of sight.

If it wasn't for the blindfold, she would've seen the nervous look that played on Nero's face. As it is, he briefly kissed her on the lips before dancing out of the way of her hands. He did smirk at her pout on failing to grab his coat. "Told ya, it's a... surprise."

Kyrie huffed good naturally, but she rested her hands on her lap. "Considering that my birthday is coming up, this should be an interesting surprise, I suppose."

"If you don't mind extra demon stuff..." he muttered. Not for the nth time, he asked himself if this was such a good idea as he went towards the back of their home.

Silence, other than the clock, and Kyrie soon heard the sound of Nero's boots returning. What raised her eyebrow was also the sound of something scratching the inside of a box. Knowing that Nero was the practical type of person to prefer function over form, his necklace gift aside, Kyrie had to wonder what type early birthday present she was going to get. Movement inside the box quite possibly meant an animal, which could mean various things...

"Alright, open it but no peeking."

Carefully feeling for the gaps, Kyrie cautiously opened the lid, noting how the box had briefly gone still. As soon as the last flap was opened, she felt something put itself on her chest and then a wet tongue licking her face, prompting a slight squeak from her. Yanking off the blindfold had her blinking spots at what was sitting on her lap once her eyes readjusted to the light.

With its tiny tail wagging, what had to be the smallest puppy with black, gray, and white fur she had ever encountered looked up at her with wide honey eyes.

"Nero..."

/"You new mistress?"/

Amber eyes snapped over to the hunter. "Nero."

A quick scratch of his nose, a sigh, and then the hunter knelt down next to her, talons loosely intertwining with her fingers. "He's a Hellhound, or maybe a hybrid with a stray dog, hard to tell but that's what I was sensing. Reminds me of those German Shepherd puppies. I found him behind the butcher's shop on the way back from patrol, and the guys there told me that they'd give him the occasional ground up scraps and milk, but none of them could take him home for a bunch of reasons." He turned his head, looking at the pup with a softer expression. "I remember how often you wanted a puppy."

Childhood memories of staring longingly at her classmates who had dogs of their own, from the herding dogs of those from farming familes to the fluffiest balls of the rich. Being told no because of Mother's allergies, who had to stay far away until their clothes were cleaned after playing with the barracks' guard dogs. Not enough time when Credo had to raise both of them and taking over chores. And then the False Savior...

Black and white ears folded back, tail tucking between hind legs. /"New mistress no want me?"/

Gently extricating her hand out of Nero's grasp, Kyrie carefully lifted the puppy out of the box, holding his gaze. "Why would you say that?"

/"Old den cold even when hot. Littermates always fight, no share, mean."/ A sad whine, shrinking into himself. /"Nest mother moved us to new den, no wait for me. Me smallest, tried to follow. Lost nest mother and littermates. Me fell into funny hole. Found place with yummy smells. Humans there share yummy, but still hungry and cold."/

"Guess that answers my question of you being a full Hellhound. Little guy here might've slipped through one of the few gaps leftover from the Hellgates," Nero mused, human hand rubbing one of the pup's ears, earning a happy whine. "I... wasn't sure if you're okay with having him-"

"He's staying."

Demonic puppy and part-devil stared at the lone human in the room.

"He's staying," Kyrie repeated softly but firmly, pulling the Hellhound closer and once again taking his right hand, squeezing tightly. Even though there were still divisions between devils and humans, that a powerful devil like Sparda had learned to love the Human World was still a fact (even among the many varying legends), then maybe raising a young devil by humans from the start could keep that dream of a peaceful coexistence going. If any of the hints from Dante were true, then that certainly applied to Nero as well (cryptic hints that had drove the pair a little batty until a passing-by Lady took pity on them). "I told you before, Nero, you're you. If I can accept that, then I can accept a baby Hellhound." She paused, glancing down at the puppy with a thoughtful look. "Well, I suppose 'Hellpuppy' seems more apt."

Nero said nothing, staring at his significant other in wonder. He hadn't shared his earlier fear that this Hellhound could be a full-grown demon in disguise when he first encountered the not-normal puppy, but some awakened devil instinct had whispered to him that it truly was a nestling, basically a baby in demon terms. If anything, the feeling of gratitude from the puppy was demonstrated at the immediate happy licking on her face, prompting laughter from Kyrie. At that, Nero couldn't help but smile. (Although he'd probably be putting in a call to Dante to see if the older hunter knew anyone that specialized in Hellhounds or at least a veterinarian who dealt with demonic animals - wouldn't do him well if someone accidentally got bitten and got sick from some demonic form of rabies. No need to risk that, even if the chances were low.)

/"Happy to stay with new mistress and master!"/ His tail wagged excitedly, almost vibrating off of her lap.

"Alright, calm down." Wiping her face, Kyrie hummed thoughtfully. "Do you have a name?"

"Uh..." Well, that explained the nagging feeling of forgetting something in his head.

/"No name."/ Ears drooped again. /"Always 'runt'. Sometimes 'weakling'."/

Kyrie ignored the almost demonic snarling that emitted from Nero, having anticipated that. She remembered the numerous schoolyard fights that he got into when they were children, always against the older and larger students whenever they picked on the younger schoolmates. While the fights tend to result in Nero and those involved being sent to the headmaster, the one constant fact was that Nero never instigated those fights - only when the bullies didn't stop would he step in. (When she was among the victims, there seemed to be an additional ferociousness from Nero that usually rattled the teachers, yet it never scared her.) Her parents and Credo often despaired at having to be called in, but she remembered how she'd slip him small pieces of dessert, earning a blush and a nose rubbing with mumbled thanks. Internally, her heart warmed at how protective he still was over a weaker being, even if in this situation it was a canine not of the Human World.

/"Mistress give name?"/

Eyes the color of honey with stared up at her hopefully.

 _"A name is important," Father spoke, voice rumbling deep in his chest. At the table, Nero and Credo listened attentively while she listened with half an ear as she worked on her own homework. "It can give form to the formless, and power to the powerless. A name can be an indicator of who or what we are, of our origins, or of something else."_

 _"Like my name because of the blanket I was found in?" Nero asked, nose wrinkling._

 _A solemn nod, thick fingers brushing silver-white hair. "That can be one way of translating your name. The alternative translation is 'strong', that we hope for strength unto you, Nero, for noble purposes. A name can also be a wish from the giver, that the bearer can live up to the potentiality of their name."_

"When did you find him, Nero?"

A confused blink at that non-sequitur of a question. "Morning patrol, just before sunrise."

/"Like shining ball coming up in sky. Warm, better than old home."/

Kyrie couldn't help but smile as inspiration struck, finally understanding her father's words. "What do you think of... Orthros?"

Hellpuppy and part-devil hunter exchanged glances before looking back at her with a questioning look, their heads cocking to the side almost simultaneously. Nero made her think of an angry puppy at times, jumping into things with all that devil-may-care attitude and teeth baring, but utterly loyal when the chips came down. She had to stifle a giggle at that, although apparently she wasn't quite successful if that gleam in storm blue eyes was of any indicator.

/"Or-thros?"/

A low chuckle this time escaped from her as she slowly stroked his fur. "So that you'll always be able to carry the rising sun within you, that you can greet a new daybreak each day in the Human World with a fresh perception, and so that hopefully you'll learn something new as each morning twilight moves away."

His tail wagging had stopped, head tilting to the opposite side as if contemplating the name.

For a long while, the only sounds were that of the clock and the night creatures stirring to life as dusk began to encroach.

/"Me like."/ With a sharp nod, as if determining to himself, the puppy touched his nose to Kyrie's, eyes shining in happiness. /"I, Orthros. Happy to meet new mistress and new master."/

The relief from Nero was palpable, and Kyrie couldn't help but love him all the more for it.

* * *

 **A/N:** "Orthros" (ὄρθρος), meaning "early dawn" or "daybreak" in Greek, is the fourth of the divine services in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches, performed during the morning watches and ending at dawn. "Matins" is the corresponding term used in Western Christian churches since it's performed around the same time.

"Orthros" is also a technically valid spelling variation of "Orthrus" (Ὄρθρος), itself sometimes spelled as "Orthus" (Ὄρθος _Orthos_ ), the two-headed dog owned by Geryon and that was killed by Heracles (or more popularly known as Hercules) during one of his Twelve Labors in classic Greek mythology.

Day 22 - "blindfolded kiss".


	23. Nibbles-verse: I Throw Myself Into You

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

* * *

 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

* * *

 **Nibbles-verse: I Throw Myself Into You**

 _Praise to my father,_  
 _Blessed by the water_  
 _Black night, dark sky,_  
 _The devils cry_

-3-1-4-2-5-

 _"Lady... I gotta take this job. You know me. After all these years..."_

 _"I don't trust her, but... Go." She rested her forehead on his, teal and maroon eyes looking straight into his ice blue eyes, faith unwavering. "Just make damn sure you come back in one piece, or I will chase after your ass and drag you back home if you don't, even if you wind up in Hell."_

 _A somewhat husky laugh. "You definitely would, and I bet Nero would join in as well even if you told him no."_

 _"Got that right." Her face softened as he brushed a gloved hand lovingly across her abdomen, their baby shifting slightly in response. "Watch your six."_

 _The kiss that he gave her would've melted her in any normal situation. "Stay frosty."_

-3-1-4-2-5-

The kiss that he was giving her felt more like he was trying to melt into her, as if trying to convey some emotion that he couldn't put into words. Wordlessly, Lady followed his lead, letting him get it out of his system after he had effortlessly settled her in his lap, leaning against their bed's headboard.

His earlier words over the static-laced phone call from the airport in Spain held little meaning, other than that the job was done, just a "little trouble" with the Spanish government over the destruction of a historical location and travel papers, and that he had some ideas regarding Trish that he wanted to run by her.

The job had taken only three days, and yet it felt far longer to her, like something big had been going down. Nero had been twitchy throughout Dante's absence, while the baby had been a bit restless within her. Even some of the Devil Arms that'd help out with errands had been agitated as well.

Sláine had warned her about the dark cloud that hung over Dante when the two half-devils finally arrived back to Devil May Cry late at night, the medical practitioner having been the one to pick the hunter and Trish up from the airport. (The blonde was back at his private clinic, citing quarantine and needing to deal with a ton of paperwork.) Lady didn't immediately question why the enormous sword that had Force Edge's hilt and pommel which resembled another demonic sword she had seen in texts was hanging where Force Edge used to be, other than being relieved that it didn't had an eye on it where the large red gem was (oddly, it gave off a strange aura that made her feel... protected?). Nor did she ask about the two new Devil Arms, the long sword with bat wings and dragon's maw as its guard that Nevan had promptly snatched and taken out to the back, saying something about a family reunion.

(One of their informants who knew someone that worked on the city's electrical grid later told them wryly that workers weren't happy on having to deal with random blackouts in several city blocks, although they easily blamed it on the storm.)

Eventually, Dante buried his nose into the crook of her neck, breathing deeply and leaning into her stroking his hair, still damp from his earlier shower. In many ways, he reminded Lady of a cat - lazing around most of the time, purring when content, occasionally demanding attention, acted as if on top of the world, and sometimes knowing when to give comfort. Slowly, he recounted the events that had happened on the island in clipped tones, lacking most of the embellishments he'd usually throw in on describing the demonic enemies, the new Devil Arms, and the inane puzzle solving.

For several moments, the muted sounds of the city's night life and the rumbling of rolling thunder permeated their room.

"Met a tough guy there."

The part where she felt he had omitted earlier.

"Fought him three times. Tall, but as if stretched. Black and blue armor with a weird horned helmet that initially bugged me. Biggest sword I had seen in a while, and the way he fought..."

She didn't stop her ministrations, nor did he stop rubbing to feel their unborn child.

"You'd think the Summoned Swords would've been the biggest clue. But, no, I'm an idiot for enjoying the fight too much for the final round. There was a couple times where it felt like he was being controlled, although I brushed it aside, thinking it was because of the amount of demonic power on the island messing with my senses."

Outside, sirens came and went. She already had a sinking feeling at the description of that particular attack.

"Got my ass handed to me by him. Almost bit the dust, but..."

The edges of his amulet flashed silver as a small bit of demon magic flared, gold briefly shining off of the identically-shaped pendant in the dark room after it appeared and landed in his hand.

"...he actually recognized mine."

Lady had to fight herself from cursing out loud as the puzzle pieces slammed together in her mind, and tightened her arms around Dante. While there was no real love lost between her and her would-have-been brother-in-law, even she wouldn't wish that kind of hell on Vergil.

"What the hell do I tell Nero?" Dante's voice nearly cracked, far from his usual cockiness. "What is he going to say?"

"That you're a dumbass, and glad that you at least beat the crap out of the bastard who was controlling Father, Uncle," a weak snark drifted in.

Neither hunters were really surprised that the young quarter-devil had eavesdropped in, but they didn't expect him to climb into their bed and bury his face into Dante's chest. (He usually leapt into Dante's bed, but stopped doing so after Lady started living with them and the revelation of the baby.)

"Nero..." Shock that was slowly melting to relief.

"He might be Father," his nephew interrupted, the boy's own voice thick with emotion and partially muffled by the clutched tank top, "but you and Aunt will always be Dad and Mom to me."

Lady would blame her tears on pregnancy hormones as she watched Dante carefully fastened Vergil's half of the Perfect Amulet around Nero's neck, and she was going to stick by that story. When Dante pulled both her and Nero closer, she half-smiled at her nephew tearily insisting that he was fine, it was just dust in his eyes, and they really need to clean their room before his new cousin arrives, prompting a mix of a sob and a laugh from Dante.

 _"It's only the rain."_

Water pattered the outside of the shop, the sound beating against the window and Dante's warmth lulling all of them in to an exhausted sleep.

* * *

 **A/N:** Follows "Nibble, Nibble", after "Waraizome". Yes, the title is a line from DMC5's "Devil Trigger".

Day 23 - "melt into you kiss".


	24. Canon-ish: Breather

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

* * *

 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

* * *

 **Canon-ish: Breather**

Eva hummed softly to herself as she methodically set about disassembling her firearms for cleaning. She had been neglecting her equipment's maintenance, but it was partly due to a metaphorical flood of jobs from the guild that she was temporarily staying with. The town the guild called home had the misfortune of living near an area where the gaps between both the Human and Demon Worlds were rather weak, so there was never any shortage of work or training. Sparda, who had been planning to see about fixing the gaps, had offered her an additional seat on the flight, which she had immediately snatched the airplane tickets before he could even finish his question.

(She had studiously ignored that particular half-curl on his lips when they met at the airport. First class seats was first class, and no way was she passing up that opportunity - luggage fees were already bad enough at economy class, never mind the weapon permits.)

Adjacent from her, Sparda mused over the pile of school reports given to him from one of the guildmasters. The retired huntress had taken up a teaching position at the local college, and had also wanted his perspective on some of the essays she had received back from her students. Several times, a quiet chuckle would escape from him while reading through them, other times prompted a shaking of his head before going over them with a red pen. (He had to wonder what sort of text books were in the current curriculum, much less those in the libraries that garnered some of the more interesting paragraphs. Perhaps a meeting with the headmaster would be in order, if the opportunity arose.)

It was one of those nice, slow, and lazy days to take a breather from most of the fast-paced craziness they were used to.

Soft talking were briefly exchanged between Eva and a passing by chef's apprentice, the student dropping off several plates that consisted mostly of sliced cheeses, various cold cuts, some sliced sausages, freshly baked bread, a small jar of mustard, and a jug of what smelled like apple cider. The apprentice had been practicing on sausage making and had wanted their opinions, to which both realized how famished they were and gladly took up the proposition, much to the student's delight. He promised to come back and if they could write up their opinions for his teacher, that'd be wonderful, please and thank you.

Sandwiches was the most logical thing to make, and as the pair worked their way through the platter, Sparda spotted a bit of mustard near Eva's left cheek. One could say that it was whimsical of him to "kiss" clean the condiment, but seeing how her cheeks turned almost as red as her jacket and the annoyed pout that followed made him think that it wasn't all that much of a whim.

Perhaps he should plan more of these trips between them to further his courtship with her, even if she didn't quite know it yet.

At least Eva was far more receptive to tactical armor - she did had a point that blood from demon body parts (one of the more "traditional" demonic courting gifts) tended to be difficult to clean up if not done right.

* * *

 **A/N:** Not one of my better chapters. I got stuck on this particular prompt and decided "I don't have to do exactly what it literally says!" and thus, this was the result. :B

Day 24 - "lazy kiss".


	25. Canon-ish: Yule

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

* * *

 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

* * *

 **Canon-ish: Yule**

Orthros didn't really thought much about the other humans his master and mistress interacted with. He wasn't fond of having to pretend to be a normal dog when Mistress Kyrie took him out with her during her errands, but at the same time, the trips did let him learn a bit more of the Human World from the other mundane canines. Conversations between him and normal dogs tended to range from boring - /'My alpha's mistress always complains about our upstairs neighbor being noisy, every day.'/ - to informative - /'Beware, Bright One. Alpha's pack members mentioned the Leaves and Bugs Sacks encroaching the docks again. Best warn your master to have them cleared out.'/ - to the downright bizarre - /'Oh, that noise last night? Alpha's mate accidentally stepped on one of the pups' toys and tripped about, hurting himself on all the furniture.'/

So when Dante called about celebrating Winter Sol with them, and the suggestion of bringing some of his country's customs had given both Nero and Kyrie pause, although both agreed to him visiting.

Neither Nero, Kyrie, or Orthros were sure of the mainland's customs. Or the mainland where Dante lived, being across the ocean. So when Dante showed up with a box of various implements, curiosity warred with wariness although curiosity won in the young couple's case. Wariness reined on Orthros's part, sensing that the half-devil was far more powerful than his master, but as he could smell the scent of kinship between both white-haired men, Orthros said nothing of it, as it wasn't his place to bring up such a private topic. One thing he had been taught early on while still a pup was the necessity of tact, and he didn't want to disappoint Kyrie for failing her lessons on that topic.

(Orthros was sure that Dante knew, having caught a wink from the red-clad half-devil when Nero and Kyrie had taken off to the kitchen.)

The two female huntresses - one purely human and the other a she-devil who smelled strange - had brought along things of their own to celebrate, this being certain foodstuffs and knowledge of dishes the Fortunan trio weren't familiar with. Curiosity won over, and soon the small home was filled with wonderful smells.

Deciding that he'd be more of an obstacle inside, Orthros padded outside to make sure there were no intruders in their territory and all but stared at Nero hurling insults from the roof at a laughing Dante.

/"Master...?"/

"Decorative lights," Nero answered, calming down a bit as he tried to untangle some of the knots, but not before sticking his middle finger at Dante. "They hang these over the house, some designed to look like icicles, from what little I know."

/"Icicles?"/ He tilted his head. He knew what ice was, the frozen water that both of them occasionally gave him in the shape of small chips during the hot days which was wonderful on his tongue.

Calloused fingers scratched behind his ears, a smaller grin on Dante's face. "Ice that forms on roof edges or on ceilings of caves, more common in colder areas but you can actually make them here. I'll have to show it to you one of these days. The giant ones makes for great distractions if you can shoot them down if you ever find yourself in such a situation."

A wondering rumble as Orthros leaned into the petting, relishing the feel as the older hunter reached one of his favorite spots. He's never left the island before, the furthest being the docks, but he hoped one day to be able to visit some of the far away places both his mistress and master spoke of from reading books and the newspapers, and perhaps the land where Dante and his packmates came from. /"I would very much like to see them."/

"One day, Orthros." A low curse came from Nero, trying to be careful with his clawed right hand on not nicking the wires. "When was the last time you even used these things, Dante? A century ago?"

"Hah! More like five, I think." A wan smile as he wall-jumped up to join the younger man on the roof. "Don't get to use them all that often, and I never really felt the need to."

Stormy blue eyes scrutinized the older hunter before turning away with a mild snort. "Just help me with the nails, will you."

Seeing that the two of them were fine, Orthros headed back inside and was greeted with some of the most delicious smells he didn't think existed. Claws gently clacked against the floor as he padded over to wait next to the sink. /"Mistress, what is that?"/

A soft laugh as Kyrie knelt down with a piece of brown bread-like item in her hand. "A sort of pudding from another island country that's served during Winter Sol. It's a different sort of pudding where it's more cake than cream and milk, but I am liking what I've been able to make so far. Care to try some?"

Delicately taking the offering with his teeth, he sorted through the flavors of some spices and flour, alongside some of the sweetness, and happily thumped his tail. /"Mistress should make more, this is very good food. Where are Mistresses Lady and Trish?"/

"Shopping." An amused smile as Kyrie wiped her hands on her apron. "Because 'knowing Dante, he'd eat out the entire refrigerator,' and so they'll be back soon."

A rumble from above, and then a loud shout alongside raucous laughter had both of them bolting outside. The sight that greeted them was of Nero hanging upside down by a tangle of lights and Dante laughing from the rooftop. Kyrie barely stifled a giggle, although she did try to hide her smile, while Orthros simply shook his head at the ridiculousness of it.

"Piss off, old man! Sorry about this, Kyrie. Gimme a minute..."

Controlling her giggles, Kyrie smiled as she stepped closer, and gently pecked him on the lips before stepping back with a slight blush on her face. Slowly, a lopsided grin grew on Nero, even though he was still dangling by an ankle.

Letting out a soft snort of mild exasperation, Orthros once again caught Dante's eye from above and stayed silent as the older hunter simply raised a silencing finger over his smile with another conspiratorial wink.

Perhaps celebrating this Winter Sol wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yeah, I'm deliberately using "Winter Solstice". The pudding Kyrie mentions references Christmas pudding. Post "Matins". Day 25 - "Spider-Man kiss".


	26. Nibbles-verse: Filiation

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

* * *

 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

* * *

 **Nibbles-verse: Filiation**

Trish stared at her water bottle, thoughts still whirling at the same speed of the motorcycle she had ridden during her first time in the Human World.

(Alright, it was ridiculously brief, but she was still able to get that hint of a thrill, that feeling that no doubt caused some humans to cheer as some rode about recklessly. Maybe if she could convince them...)

Shrieks had her glancing up in mild alarm, but she calmed down when she was able to decipher that the shrieks from the sandbox were that of childish delight from going down the slide, not of pain. Relaxing, the electric she-devil leaned back into the park bench. The minor relief didn't stop her from rubbing the bridge of her nose at her earlier thoughts.

Over three years, and still counting.

-3-1-2-4-5-

 _"Say again?!"_

 _Those with sensitive hearing in the room winced, Nero clapping his hands over his ears at the thunderous question from Lady. Slight whimpers from upstairs and the baby monitor had everyone freezing for several moments before they relaxed when no crying sounded out from the nursery._

 _Dante held up his hands in a placating manner. "C'mon, Lady. Sure, she might've tried to kill me-"_

 _"You got electrocuted, had a motorcycle thrown at you which exploded after you shot it to pieces, practically set the shop on fire, AND got stabbed by Force Edge before it awakened!" Lady hissed, now minding the volume of her voice. Her fingers were twitching as if wanting to grab a gun, but not being able to now that her newborn nestling was sleeping peacefully again. (And obviously not wanting to waste bullets, as Trish knew that Lady didn't have Dante's ability of generating endless ammunition.)_

 _"-pretty much betrayed me-"_

 _"Electrocuted you AGAIN just as you were about to kick that ass of a 'shadow-ice blob monster' while near the fringes of the Demon World!"_

 _"-but she did help me send Mundus packing."_

 _If looks could kill, Lady's eyes would've set things on fire as she bounced her gaze between the blonde and half-devil._

 _From the sofa, Trish wondered if this was how most devils felt when in the presence of more powerful ones, her own short experience aside. The amount of killing intent being put out by the lone human in the living room was probably enough to give even the weakest of devils some pause, and was causing her instincts to insist on immediately leaving through the windows. A quick side-glance to her left showed Nero was all but shrinking into the cushions._

 _"Don't even think of running," the other half-devil in the room murmured into her right ear._

 _Being the lone person who specialized in medicine, Trish opted to listen to Sláine's words, even though she barely heard what sounded like a bit of fear in Sláine's voice. (It had been an utter shock to her upon learning that Sláine, also a half-devil like Dante, preferred healing - healing! - to some of the more physical and violent-based activities. Lady had taken great pleasure at the blonde's surprise upon finding out.)_

 _"Lady..." Dante sighed through his nose, running a hand through his hair before resting his hands on her shoulders. "I owe her. **We** owe her."_

 _Trish forced herself to turn her head away when Dante placed his forehead onto Lady's, trying to give them some sense of privacy even though there was an audience. Where Sláine was also pretending to be as if fascinated with a fraying map pinned to one of the walls, Nero was making strange faces and rolling his eyes. The sheer tenderness Dante was showing to his mate -_ 'Spouse, damn it, Trish. You're in the Human World.' _\- was utterly foreign to her, more accustomed to displays of forced dominance. Tenderness was rare in the Demon World, except between some types and their offspring. The reaction the young quarter-devil was making, on the other hand, was rather amusing to her, although she got the sense that Nero saw the pair do it far more often than he'd prefer._

 _She wasn't sure what was Dante planning exactly. By demon laws and traditions, she could've turned into a Devil Arm or swear fealty to Dante, given that she technically owed him her life, and that debt she really didn't want constantly reminding her. After they had left Spain and arrived back in Dante's home country, the hunter had had a discussion with Sláine at the airport, someone he had introduced to her as an old friend, and both men had agreed that she should stay at the clinic temporarily._

 _The primary reason of Dante needing some time to recuperate mentally, she could understand - betrayal was never fun, especially when it involved one's life as well the image of someone close. The secondary reason about "quarantine" and the sheer load of paperwork she had seen Sláine work through wasn't as comprehensible - his dry remarks of it being a form of Hell didn't help ease her confusion, and she doubt she carried any form of illnesses, but she decided to humor him. It wasn't like she'd be welcome back in the Demon World, what with siding with the remaining son of the traitor._

 _Other than the bare basics and cursory knowledge of the Human World, she had absolutely nothing. The mission Mundus had given her was gone, and his punishment resulting with her death was another good enough reason for her to leave the Demon World. Dante's words that "devils never cry" had given her some comfort, yet she still felt adrift in the past two weeks of staying with Sláine. (Except when he had to go help Dante and Lady deliver their new nestling - Cato - just a few days ago, leaving Trish alone with what had to be the fluffiest and most demanding feline she had encountered so far.)_

 _And then that explosion from Lady at Dante wanting to add Trish to his family records..._

 _What reason for such a thing? Adoption? As his sister? As in him accepting her as a nestmate, even though she only shared the face of his mother, and not of his blood? That felt more like a reward than a punishment, if Lady's reaction was anything to go by._

 _Really, what ulterior motive did he had?_

 _Why?_

 _As if echoing her inner turmoil, Lady looked up at Dante, far calmer. "Why adoption?"_

 _"My way on getting over with that dumb life-debt thing devils get hung up on. Not gonna ask her to turn herself into a Devil Arm, nor am I keen on the whole subordinate thing. I get enough of that from some of our Devil Arms."_

 _Oh._

 _"Plus, she won't be welcomed back in the Demon World after that stunt we pulled, and I can't just leave her drifting in the wind in the Human World." His gaze drifted over to the photo frame sitting on his desk. "I think if Mother was still alive, she'd probably do the same thing."_

 _Why did her chest feel tight all of a sudden?_

 _"I mean, yeah, all those forms is gonna be a pain, not to mention all the processing fees and wait times, and the back channels we'd have to go through, but... I think it's worth it."_

 _Lady simply shook her head, but didn't stop the small smile from growing. "Only you, Dante. What about you, Nero? What do you think?"_

 _"Another kickass aunt?" Nero tilted his head to the side, thinking for a moment before grinning. "Cool."_

 _Sláine simply held up his hands at Dante's questioning glance. "I don't see any real downsides to this proposal."_

 _Why was her face wet again, and what was that warm emotion blooming in her chest just now?_

 _Whatever it was, as she scrubbed her face and tried to assuage the others' concerned questions, Trish rather liked that warmth._

 _Maybe living in the Human World wouldn't be so bad after all._

-3-1-2-4-5-

Sláine hadn't been exaggerating about the sheer amount of paperwork, nor was Dante on mentioning the wait times. (Some forms were _still_ being processed.) Even though a majority of the general human population didn't quite believe in devils and demons, in spite of the presence of hunters and exorcists and other similar groups, various agencies within the governments seemingly took their childhood stories seriously.

Apparently, there was a small population of devils that wanted to live in the Human World quietly. Some did so out of curiosity, what with the legend of Sparda siding with humanity, while most did so because they'd rather much preferred to living without having to be worried of being turned into another devil's next meal or being forcibly subjugated. No one could really object to the latter reason.

The "back channels" Dante had mentioned were the shadowy agencies created decades ago on setting up identities for devils so they could actually live in the Human World, ranging from mundane interviews with agents, to the more magical versions on making sure there were no mental traps, academic questioning, and health examinations. From what Trish had read up on the many information packets, the applying devil would be under supervision of the sponsoring person for several years, and thus she found herself living at Devil May Cry, learning "how to human" as Nero joked.

(Obviously, that wasn't getting into cases of devils living in the Human World _without_ the proper papers, but that was a whole different carcass none of them really wanted to get into. Bad enough some of those tended to get into the nastier side of things frequently after slipping through the cracks between both realms.)

It was a lot harder than Trish thought. She had to publicly stop referring Lady and Dante as "mates", which resulted in one very hasty excuse when she had slipped up that one time. She would occasionally still use "nestling" when referring to Nero and Cato, causing more hasty excuses to any human that might've overheard and questioned them. She had to remember to modulate her strength and be careful with her electrical abilities, Nevan not holding back on teaching both her and Alastor proper control. Sure, she felt that she was improving a bit, and yet even after a little over three years, parts of the Human World would still overwhelm her.

Another shriek from the children, this time one she recognized as pain. Electric blue eyes promptly locked on to the source, that from the lone white-haired boy at the base of the slide. If it wasn't for the presence of other humans, she would've electrically jumped to the spot, instead forcing herself to run fast but not too fast.

"Cato, what's wrong?"

Another whimper, and a reluctant showing to her of his skinned knee that had some minor bleeding.

Outwardly, she simply hummed. Inwardly, Trish was trying not to panic, hoping that she wouldn't have to face an angry Lady or Dante in over-protective-parent mode. Mostly it had to do with the fact of Sláine doing a lot of convincing to allow Trish to watch over Cato, what with Nero having to attend school, and both of them receiving the occasional job that'd required extra firepower. Today was the first time she'd been watching over Cato without any other supervision. (Not that Trish could really blame either of them - Dante's devil-influenced parental instincts was self-explanatory, and she already had enough hints about their history.)

If they were in the Demon World, Trish would've told Cato to ignore it and let his devil healing take care of the injury.

Here in the Human World, Cato was mostly human with as-of-yet unawakened demon blood, she was learning how to live as a human, and there were humans present now looking over in concern.

What did Lady and Dante do when their younger nestling injured himself, especially his knees?

Fumbling through her pockets, Trish successfully fished out a band-aid that was in the vest she was borrowing, and carefully stuck the brightly colored object on after wiping away the blood (the wound was already starting to heal). Bright cyan eyes tearfully looked up at her, Cato still sniffling a bit.

Trish wracked her mind, trying to remember what else the pair did after addressing the injury.

Feeling almost silly, she quickly kissed above the fabric bandage before pulling back. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the relieved smiles on the other adults before they turned away, and internally sighed in relief as Cato's sniffles died down. She did quirk an eyebrow when he raised his arms up towards her. Intrigued, the electric she-devil carefully picked the nestli- child up. "Yes?"

That warm feeling in her chest returned when Cato trustingly wrapped his arms around her neck and nuzzled her. "Thank you, Awntie Twish."

If Dante's showing of affection that he regularly showered Lady and the boys with was foreign to Trish, Cato's utter trust completely mystified her, and she still didn't understand _why_ she was given it.

Lady didn't comment about the hastily wiped tear tracks on Trish's face, nor how red her eyes had to be when the human huntress came to pick them up. Rather, a small half-smile and a reassuring shoulder squeeze before getting into the car, letting Cato's happy chatting of playing at the park wash over them on the drive back home.

* * *

 **A/N:** Filiation is the legal term on recognizing the legal status of the relationship between family members, although it usually applies to the relationship between parent and child in most places.

Day 26 - "kiss on the knee". Follows "Nibble, Nibble", after "Waraizome".


	27. Canon-ish: Fairy-Lover

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

* * *

 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

* * *

 **Canon-ish: Fairy-Lover**

"Wait, she tried to-"

Dante held up his hands defensively while the purple Devil Arm electrical guitar cackled from his back, both out of amusement and from sending off another flock of sparking bats at the batch of Cainas that were trying to ambush them. "I wasn't expecting her to go for my jugular after I kicked her ass! Had to shoot her to get her to back off because you have no idea how many Vital Stars I lost and I didn't want to lose anymore!"

"Blame Yeats for emphasizing some of our... vampiric aspects," Nevan purred, switching to her human form but with pale skin that most people would call "ethereal," on the off chance some random civilian ran into them. She tossed a very suggestive wink at the lone human present. "Not that I could blame the leanan sídhe who may or may not had inspired the idea in him. It makes things all the more... interesting these days."

"Not. Helping," Lady gritted out, reflexively shooting behind her at the Empusa that had tried to sneak up. "Should I be worried about being 'inspired' by you as well? There's always a cost for these kind of things."

As much as the red-haired leanan sídhe wanted to continue teasing the human huntress, a quick glance at Dante with furrowed eyebrows made her reconsider it. Truly, like father, like son. Perhaps her time stuck in the tower and the few weeks spent with the younger Son of Sparda was mellowing her out a bit. She could already see the tiny bond growing between the couple. "You're fine, darling. If anything, Dante might become better inspired with his fingers on creating music." She smiled coyly, one finger touching the corner of her lip. "In more ways than one."

Ah, such wonderful flustering blushes and bluster from these two fledglings. Living in the Human World with them might not be such a bad idea after all.

* * *

 **A/N:** Day 27 - "vampire kiss".

The reason for me having Nevan as a _leanan sídhe_ rather than a succubus (in both the historical depiction and Morrigan Aensland of _Darkstalkers_ ) is partly several factors:  
\- One of Nevan's moves is actually draining Dante's health by kissing him.  
\- After Dante beats Nevan in _DMC3_ , he immediately performs a show with all the pyrotechnics after she turns into an electrical guitar. He might not be a poet like his namesake, but music is considered as one of the Arts throughout human history.  
\- The roots of a succubus is a mix of Latin, Jewish, and some Arabic aspects. Nevan, on the other hand, has Irish roots where her name is male Irish name, and possibly based off of Nemain, the Irish spirit-woman/goddess personifying the frenzied havoc of war. She's a boss that Dante has to fight in order to make progress through Temen-ni-gru.  
\- The "Yeats" Nevan mentions is W.B. Yeats, an Irish poet who apparently popularized the leanan sídhe, per his book _Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry_.


	28. Diverge-verse: Bufonidae

_Devil May Cry_ © Capcom

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 **Bouquet of Calendula**

Jason M. Lee

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 **Diverge-verse: _Bufonidae_**

Vergil wasn't sure what to expect when the principal called again, other than being glad that he hadn't been out on that possible summoning-gone-wrong job that was practically at the opposite side of the county, so he was able to leave wearing his suit. (Dante's case files were in sore need of reorganizing again, and that wasn't even getting into how some notes were mixed up with other folders. Plus, there was always the off chance of clientele entering the shop.) The most he got was that Nero had gotten into another schoolyard fight, but the details on what lead up to this one had been scarce.

Seeing Nero practically slouching in one of the chairs out in the hallway in spite of his backpack with an air of frustrated annoyance wasn't surprising. What prompted a quirk of his eyebrow was the cardboard box his son was tightly clutching, as if it contained a very important item. The somewhat bent shape and imprints indicated that Nero might had gotten into a scuffle on protecting the box while trying not to crush whatever was inside it. Noticing the raised eyebrow, the boy's jaw tightened, but lifted his chin and stayed mulishly silent. Logic meant that his son wanted to say his piece without having to retell it twice, something which Vergil silently approved, taking a seat next to him and settling in for the wait. At least it was the end of the school day, and a Friday.

As the secretary was escorting father and son into the principal's office, Vergil didn't miss the venomous glares exchanged between Nero and the boy whom he recognized as one of the school bullies who was just leaving. The boy's parents, whom he also recognized from past parent-teacher meetings, also shot glares at him, which he simply responded by not saying anything at all and coolly ignoring them save a brief glance. In too many ways, they reminded him of certain devils and demons, where their "power" was simply a facade that hid their weaker constitutions. (Not completely dissimilar to fables of the donkey wearing a lion or tiger's skin before it got eaten.)

Pleasantries were exchanged, and both adults waited for Nero to talk, letting him choose his pace. For a brief moment, Nero fidgeted before sighing gustily and carefully cracking the lid open, gesturing for the principal to look. Curious, both of them leaned over and blinked at the wart-like brown skin, and yellow and black eyes staring back silently until it let out a croak.

"A toad?" Jizo asked, squinting and readjusting her bifocals.

Nero nodded, closing the lid back. "Julius was trying to make Kyrie kiss this toad when we were outside getting tree leaves for science lessons, said that he found it in a stream near his house. He kept shoving it into her face all the while talking shi- stuff about princesses kissing toads." A scowl not unlike his father's. "He even tried to force some of the other girls to do it too. I told him to quit it. He wouldn't." A shrug, as if to say 'well, here I am'.

Jizo tented her fingers in front of her face with a thoughtful look. "Other than it obviously being not sanitary, was there also another reason why you fought Julius?"

"Toads have this gland-thingy under their skin that could make people really sick."

Vergil blinked in mild surprise. He knew his own library had several science texts, but those were more at the university level and he didn't had that many that specifically covered animals of the Human World. Even what few children's science books on animals covered more broadly. "Where did you learn that?"

Nero squirmed, as if realizing what just slipped out. "It was when you were out on that job with Uncle Dante a few weeks ago, Father. Aunt Lady was babysitting me because she had a broken leg, remember? Uncle Dante had gotten cable, so we watched a lot of Animal Planet and National Geographic and a couple of the other science channels, said that I might learn something. One of the shows talked about poisonous frogs and toads, like the cane toad from South America and Au- Auspa- Australia, and I guess it kinda stuck." Steel glimmered in stormy blue eyes, meeting his father's own head on. "I didn't know which type of toad this was, and I know you told me not to get into pointless fights, but this wasn't right because Julius was hurting the toad and trying to also hurt the girls. Grandma always said do what's right that'd help others weaker than you, even if it means getting into trouble yourself."

If pride hadn't been already slowly growing in his chest, it fully bloomed. A calloused hand gently and fondly patted Nero's hair, causing his son to partly duck his head in embarrassment and rub the side of his nose. Vergil didn't stop the small smile from appearing. "Well done, Nero."

An approving smile from the older woman as Jizo set about writing something on her notepad. "Well spoken as well, young man. No punishment for you over this matter, so I wish you both a good weekend. I'll see about speaking with Julius's parents regarding his behavior. And perhaps a very... nice chat with them as well."

At the reflecting gleam that caused her bifocals to completely cover her eyes, father and son fought off the shivers that went down their spines, glad that they weren't on the receiving end of her accompanying smile. It reminded them of when a very vindictive Eva got very creative ideas, leading to her cackling.

(Dante had swore he'd rather go through multiple waves of Nobodies and Shadows instead. Even Sparda made himself scarce when Eva started doing that particular laugh.)

On the way home to Devil May Cry, they briefly stopped by the flood canal to release the toad at one of the few patches of vegetation growing along its banks. The feeling of content mixed with pride upon seeing the satisfied look on Nero's face, prompting another ruffling of his son's hair. A quick detour to the local Chinese diner resulted in a happy Nero, a whining Dante who had been just about to order pizza when they returned, and a rather amused Lady who had swung by to drop off their share of the pay and decided to stay for dinner.

And although he didn't show it externally, Vergil was internally pleased on needling Dante and Lady with certain comments that caused mostly flustered noises from her and partially flustered noises from his younger brother.

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 **A/N:** True toads belong to the family _Bufonidae_ , the most well known example being the cane toad that's native to South America and an invasive species in other parts of the world, most infamously Australia. And yes, I used to watch a ton of cable science-channels like Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, and National Geographic back in the day when they were actually about _teaching_.

Principal Jizo refers to the bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha of East Asian Buddhism, or better known as the Buddhist monk Jizou 地蔵 in Japan, who is seen as a protector of children, especially those that had died young. His statues are commonly seen along the roads with red bibs or hoods tied around the head.

Why yes, Vergil's a Shipper on Deck in regards to Dante and Lady in this little 'verse.

Day 28 - "kissing a frog/toad".


End file.
